MANCHESTER CITY have lined up a potential replacement for Erling Haaland, according to reports.
Haaland, 24, has once again shown his lethal edge this season with 13 goals in 12 games in all competitions.
He added two more goals to his collection – the first being an acrobatic stunner – on Wednesday night as City won 5-0 against Sparta Prague.
However, Haaland is rumoured to be mulling over his future for 2026, with a possible move to Spain on the cards thanks to a £125million release clause in his contract.
With that in mind, City transfer chiefs have wasted no time in drawing up plans to replace the clinical Norwegian.
And they have landed on one of Europe’s most prolific attackers of the past two seasons, Viktor Gyokeres.
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The 26-year-old who has previously linked to Arsenal, is remarkably keeping pace with Haaland this season with 13 goals and four assists in 13 games for Sporting Lisbon.
He joined the Portuguese outfit in the summer of 2023 after a stellar campaign with Coventry that saw him score 22 goals and add 12 assists in 50 games.
The Swede’s debut season in Portugal marked his card as a top forward, scoring 43 goals and adding 15 assists in 50 games – more than Haaland’s 38 goals and five assists in 45 games.
According to Sky Sports, the reigning Premier League champions have already contacted the representatives of Gyokeres about coming to the Etihad.
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A significant boost to a possible deal is incoming director of football Hugo Viana, who will arrive from Sporting at the end of the season to replace Txiki Begiristain after 12 years in the job.
This has led to speculation about Sporting manager Ruben Amorim also swapping Lisbon for Manchester, with Pep Guardiola openly saying he is unsure whether he will quit City when his contract expires.
City host Southampton in the league on Saturday before a trip to Tottenham in the League Cup.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
