Manchester City boss Ferran Soriano insists Erling Haaland has NOT joined Premier League champions for money, as Norwegian planes arrived in the UK on Tuesday to complete the £ 51m move.
- Erling Haaland dined with Manchester City executives on Tuesday night
- The 21-year-old Norwegian is scheduled to visit the club’s facilities on Wednesday
- Haaland will earn £ 385,000 a week to Premier League champions
- Ferran Soriano insists that salary is not the reason why he chose City over his rivals
By Chris Wheeler for the Daily Mail
Published: 22:30, 24 May 2022 | Updated: 11:51 PM, May 24, 2022
Manchester City’s new £ 51m signing Erling Haaland flew to the UK on Tuesday as Etihad boss Ferran Soriano insisted the Norwegian star had not joined the champions. Premier League for money.
Haaland, whose transfer from Borussia Dortmund was confirmed two weeks ago, dined with City officials on Tuesday night and is expected to tour the club’s facilities on Wednesday.
The 21-year-old will earn £ 385,000 a week, but Soriano believes this is not the reason he chose City before some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
Manchester City’s new £ 51m signing Erling Haaland flew to Manchester on Tuesday
Haaland (right, back) had dinner with a few Manchester City executives on Tuesday night
“Haaland has chosen us,” said Soriano, the club’s CEO. “You have seen the transfer figures, and they are very reasonable. The salary we are paying you is what we can afford and what you are entitled to.
“We told him about the project, but the money could have been given to him by Manchester United, Bayern Munich or Real Madrid. He has decided where he wants to go and we are happy.
“We focus on football, playing well and winning, more than star players. We lacked a center forward.
“We had someone spectacular like (Sergio) Agüero. We’ve spent over a year looking for a replacement and Haaland is.” Soriano argued that United have spent much more than City over the past decade, although they have not been very successful.
The city’s chief executive, Ferran Soriano (center-right), believes that the English champions have gotten a good deal despite the expensive salaries of £ 385,000 a week in Haaland
“If we look at the income of English clubs, the biggest gain is Manchester United,” he added. “They earn £ 100 million more than City, Liverpool and Chelsea.
‘We have no more money. In fact, we have less. How much money has United spent in recent years and how much has City spent?
“If you look at it, you’ll see that United have spent more and City have won 11 titles in recent years and United one or two, and no league titles.”