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Manchester City are considering legal action after Real Madrid presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme announced on Spanish television that he would sign superstar forward Erling Haaland if elected.
During his Wednesday appearance on Antena 3, Riquelme held up a Real Madrid jersey featuring Haaland’s name and the number nine.
The presidential hopeful, a successful renewable energy entrepreneur, also declared his intention to sign Spain international Rodri, who currently has one year remaining on his contract with Manchester City.
While Riquelme acknowledged that the club must respect Manchester City regarding Rodri, he stated that his team would sit down with City and the midfielder’s representatives as early as next Monday.
He contrasted Rodri’s situation with Haaland’s, claiming that the Norwegian forward has a release clause and wants to join Real Madrid.
Manchester City issued a strong rebuttal on Thursday, with a club spokesman branding the stories emerging from Spain as completely untrue.
The spokesman emphasised that no contractual clause exists to enable such a transfer and stated that the club is exploring legal action over the unauthorised use of their player’s image.
Haaland originally joined City in 2022 and solidified his commitment by signing a new nine-and-a-half-year contract in January 2025.
The 25-year-old Norwegian striker has maintained a prolific goalscoring record since arriving at the Etihad, helping City secure two Premier League titles and a Champions League trophy.
Haaland further expanded his silverware collection by winning the League Cup and FA Cup this season, while also claiming the Premier League Golden Boot with 27 goals.
The Real Madrid presidential election will take place this Sunday. Riquelme is challenging the 79-year-old incumbent Florentino Perez, who has led the club since 2009.
Perez first won the Real Madrid presidency in 2000, overseeing the famous Galactico era before resigning in 2006 and returning to power three years later.
