Pep shock and Khaldoon call - How Man City kept 'crazy' £247m Erling Haaland deal secret

Even Pep Guardiola was speechless when Txiki Begiristain called him to confirm a deal had been agreed with Erling Haaland over his sensational ten year contract.

On a reported £500,000-per-week, Haaland's contract blows his previous deal out of the water and commits his future to City until he is almost 34. If he stays that long - and City expect him to - he will have given 12 years to the club and almost certainly given up on any potential transfer to Real Madrid.

The ten year deal - or nine-and-a-half year extension if we are being picky - is a Premier League record, and is among the most expensive handed out. Its scale has rocked the football world, in part because nobody saw it coming.

So how did City keep one of their biggest ever negotiations completely out of the public eye?

Well, City agreed to sign Haaland from Borussia Dortmund under the radar when everyone wanted to know where the world's most sought-after player was going. City's announcement came with no build-up or major leaks, and that was the case with this major extension.

Just like his signing, City even filmed a series of announcement videos and produced a full content plan - with his 2022 videos smashing records for reach and engagement. This is all part of the package with a superstar like Haaland.

The contract announcement video also gave a cheeky nod to the 'rumours' about his future, yet for all of the noises coming out of the Haaland camp about potential future moves to Real Madrid and keeping his options open along a carefully-planned career path, City have always been able to count on the player and his family for complete discretion.

After all, this deal could be worth a ridiculous £247m before any lucrative bonuses, sponsorship deals and