Report: Haaland tops City's wish list, Kane among backup options

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is prioritizing a move for Erling Haaland following confirmation that Sergio Aguero will be leaving the club at the end of the season, according to BBC Sport’s Simon Stone.

Guardiola had planned to bring in a new striker before the announcement of Aguero’s impending departure. However, finally resolving the future of the club’s all-time leading scorer has reportedly cleared the way for City to strike one of the biggest transfers of the summer.

Signing Haaland amid interest from a host of other sides and before his €75-million release clause can be activated in the summer of 2022 could be difficult, Stone understands. A recent report stated that Haaland’s club, Borussia Dortmund, had slapped a €180-million price tag on the Norwegian.

For those reasons, City have drawn up a list of alternative options.

Harry Kane’s future is the subject of much speculation as the 27-year-old is yet to win a trophy with Tottenham Hotspur and possibly has room for one big transfer in his career. The Spurs and England captain seemed to keep his options open during a recent press conference with his national team.

“I’m fully focused on doing the job on the pitch from now until the end of the summer, and then we’ll see where we go from there,” he said last Saturday, as quoted by Sky Sports.

Kane would cost approximately £150 million, according to a FourFourTwo story cited by Steven Railston of the Manchester Evening News. His Tottenham contract expires in 2024.

Former Manchester United marksman Romelu Lukaku is also linked with Manchester City. Stones believes the Belgian would be a more attainable target for the Premier League leaders due to the current financial issues of Inter Milan’s ownership group, Suning. Lukaku has scored 42 goals in 62 Serie A appearances since moving to Italy in 2019.