Manchester City Denies Haaland Transfer to Real Madrid and Considers Legal Action

Manchester City has released an official statement rejecting the use of their first-team Norwegian player Erling Haaland's jersey by Enrique Riquelme, a candidate for the presidency of Real Madrid.

Enrique Riquelme had indicated that if elected as Real Madrid's president, his major signing would be Erling Haaland. The club is currently holding elections following Florentino Pérez's decision to call for an urgent presidential vote due to the team's disappointing results last season.

The English club, as reported by the Spanish newspaper "AS," declared: "The stories which have emerged from Spain regarding the future of Erling Haaland are untrue. There is no chance of this happening and there is no contractual clause to enable it."

Manchester City further stated: "There is no possibility of this occurring, and no clause in the contract permits it. We are considering legal action due to the use of our player's image in this context."

The incident involving Enrique Riquelme wearing a Real Madrid jersey bearing Haaland's name and number 9 prompted a reaction from Manchester City's management. Sporting director Hugo Viana made a phone call to Haaland's representatives immediately after the event.

The Spanish newspaper noted that Hugo Viana clarified the club's position to Haaland's representatives and agreed that the best course of action was to issue an official statement.