Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Braut Haaland is “very close” to reaching an agreement to join Manchester City, according to Guillem Balague.
Haaland’s contract expires in 2024 but a release clause allows him to leave for 75m euros (£62.8m) this summer.
Balague believes City have sold the Norway forward, 21, the idea of joining now before moving on to Real Madrid.
“He will be at Manchester City, I feel,” said Balague to BBC Sport.
“There’s no agreement but they’re very close.”
City, Real and Barcelona have all spoken to Haaland but the former Red Bull Salzburg striker ruled out Barca before Karim Benzema’s recent form for Real apparently made up his mind to join the Premier League leaders.
The France striker, 34, has scored successive hat-tricks in the Champions League knockout stage, helping him to a career-best 39 goals so far this season.
“Haaland has known for a while what Real Madrid and Manchester City are offering, and others, but those are the two clubs that are left,” Balague said on the Euro Leagues podcast.
“Something has happened in the last couple of weeks, something called Benzema, that has turned the mind of Haaland into ‘you know what, I can go to Madrid in two or three years’.
“And that, by the way, was the proposal City put to him. Not only was it the most attractive financial proposition, they also said ‘you’re young, stay with us for two or three years, we’ll use you well, meanwhile Real Madrid will always be there’.”
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