Report: Man City eye 11 ‘long-term successors’ for Sergio Aguero but 98-goal man is ‘primary target’

Manchester City had Kylian Mbappe, Danny Ings, Patson Daka, Harry Kane, Darwin Nunez, Edin Dzeko, Romelu Lukaku, Ali Akman, Erling Haaland, Lautaro Martinez and Arek Milik on their list of potential ‘long-term successors’ for Sergio Aguero, but James Ducker of The Telegraph says Haaland is their ‘primary target’.

The 20-year-old is one of the most prolific strikers in Europe with 49 goals in 49 games for Borussia Dortmund (Transfermarkt) and has attracted interest from  Real Madrid and Chelsea for his signature. Haaland has three years on his deal at the Westfalenstadion too, so Dortmund are in a strong negotiating position.

Aguero has spent 10 years at City, scoring 257 goals and making 73 assists in 384 games (Transfermarkt), so he won’t be an easy player to replace. City don’t want a short-term solution to their striker woes next season, so a proven player that can provide many years of service is what they’re after.

Haaland fits the bill perfectly. The Norwegian international turns 21 in July and has already scored 98 goals in 143 career games. He’s bagged six goals in eight games for the national team too, so his future looks bright.

Dortmund have attached a €75m (£64.1m) release clause on Haaland’s head that won’t be active until 2022, so he’ll cost in excess of that figure to be lured away before then.

In other news, Manchester City ‘would sell’ Benjamin Mendy this summer, but there isn’t much interest due to his ‘fitness troubles’