Erling Haaland 'deal' points to two versions of Man City and Pep Guardiola’s future decision

Manchester City Twitter went into overdrive at the weekend after reports suggested that the Blues have agreed a deal to sign superstar striker Erling Haaland.

The Borussia Dortmund frontman has long been linked with a summer move to Real Madrid, but MEN Sport understands City are in pole position to conclude a deal that would see them activate Haaland's £63m release clause, with any signing-on bonus and agent fees taking the total nearer to £100m.

Pep Guardiola has been saying all season that City need a striker, so he will no doubt be delighted if his mate Txiki Begiristain gets the transfer over the line.

The obvious talking points here centre around how Haaland will be used by Pep and how he will fare in the Premier League. However, what the deal could mean for Guardiola's own future at the club is another fascinating element to ponder.

Given Guardiola has wanted the club to sign an elite striker for going on close to a year now, one would think that he has every intention of extending his current City contract beyond 2023 in order to give himself time to work with any new recruit of Haaland's calibre.

Guardiola has remained tight-lipped when asked about his future in recent months, but it's hard to imagine him leaving in June 2023 after working with one of the most exciting talents in world football for just one season.

It's also likely that Guardiola will turn out to be a huge factor in Haaland deciding to join City. The 21-year-old has reportedly been torn between City, Real Madrid and Barcelona for a while now, but the attractive prospect of working with the Catalan coach is something neither of City's rivals can offer. He is City's USP.

This view is supported by the slew of contract renewals at the Etihad Stadium