Erling Haaland must heed Robert Lewandowski's advice on Pep Guardiola to shine at Man City

Pep Guardiola has said a few times over recent weeks that Manchester City need a striker and reports emerging on Friday evening regarding Erling Haaland suggest he might get his wish soon enough.

MEN Sport understands City are still “cautious” about their chances of landing Haaland but are in “pole position” to sign the Borussia Dortmund superstar and are ready to meet his £63m release clause.

After two years of leading the way in the Premier League while predominantly deploying variations on a false-nine setup, Guardiola throwing his lot in with one of the most sought-after centre-forwards in world football represents an intriguing change of tact.

The City boss’ relationship with out-and-out strikers doesn’t necessarily suggest Haaland is in for an easy ride.

Joao Cancelo, Rodri and now Jack Grealish have found that acclimatising to Guardiola’s methods can take time, even for players who operate in his pet positions.

The notion of a specialist striker, traditionally a player who does not take part in the wider aspects of the game, is anathema to Pep’s signature style. That is not to say that elite No.9s can’t thrive under him - on the contrary - it’s just they don’t always find it easy.

Samuel Eto’o impressed during his sole season under Guardiola at Barcelona but had already been shunted out wide as Lionel Messi began to thrive as his head coach’s original and best false nine.

Messi’s aptitude for the role meant Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s stay in Catalonia was brief and embittered. In Manchester, Sergio Aguero knuckled down and remodelled his game to Guardiola’s demands, smashing a host of goalscoring records, but there was a time early on when the duo’s union seemed fraught.

If Haaland joins City, Aguero will be the