Real Madrid president Florentino Perez says Man City striker Erling Haaland would only make their bench

Florentino Perez insists Real Madrid are happy having missed out on Erling Haaland to Manchester City because they have Karim Benzema.

Real were in the race to sign Haaland, 21, from Borussia Dortmund, but appeared to switch their attentions to Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe, allowing City to complete a deal for Haaland.

However, Mbappe opted to sign a new contract at PSG, leaving Real without either striker, but president Perez insists they are happy to go into the next season with Ballon d'Or favourite Benzema - even suggesting Haaland would only sit on their bench if he had joined.

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Insisting that Haaland was never an option for Real, Perez told El Chiringuito: “Mbappe deal didn’t create any problem with Haaland deal, absolutely. We have Benzema, so it was impossible to have him with Karim.

"We can’t sign Haaland to stay on the bench. Haaland is an amazing, fantastic player."

Perez also added that he has heard about a potential release clause in Haaland's City contract, but denied knowing if there was any truth in the reports.

“I don’t know if Erling Haaland has a release clause into his contract with Man City," he said.

"I’ve seen some stories about it but I don’t have anything confirmed. He’s a great player but we have Benzema. It wasn’t linked to Mbappe.”

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