Threat comes after Enrique Riquelme said Haaland wanted to join Madrid and vowed to sign him if elected
Manchester City are considering legal action against Real Madrid presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme after he claimed Erling Haaland wanted to join the Spanish club and displayed a Real Madrid shirt bearing the striker’s name during a television appearance.
City issued a message on Thursday rejecting Riquelme’s statement that Haaland wants to move to the Bernabeu. They also debunked the claim that the Norway forward could leave the club under a release clause.
“The stories which have emerged from Spain regarding the future of Erling Haaland are untrue,” City said. “There is no chance of this happening and there is no contractual clause to enable it. We are considering legal action for the use of our player image in this context.”
The dispute comes just days before Real Madrid’s presidential election, in which Riquelme is challenging long-serving incumbent Florentino Perez. During an appearance on Spanish television on Wednesday, Riquelme pledged to sign both Haaland and Rodri if elected, presenting the pair as the centre of his campaign.
“Haaland has a release clause and he wants to come to Madrid,” Riquelme said. He also claimed that Rodri, the Ballon d’Or winner, would leave City for Real Madrid should he become president.
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Riquelme did not just make verbal promises. He also put it in writing that he would cover the annual membership fees of Real Madrid’s 100,000 members if he failed to deliver the transfers.
Haaland signed a record nine-and-a-half-year contract extension with City as recently as January 2025, a deal intended to secure the 25-year-old’s long-term future at the club. His representatives swiftly backed City’s position, with his father Alfie Haaland and agent Rafaela Pimenta dismissing the claims.
“All very entertaining but not true,” the pair said. “We wish all the best for both candidates in the Real Madrid elections.”
