Manchester City have released a statement in response to claims Real Madrid plan to sign Erling Haaland this summer.
It comes after presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme ‘guaranteed’ the signing of the Norwegian striker during a TV appearance.
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Riquelme is set to go head-to-head with Florentino Perez in Sunday’s election.
Ahead of Real Madrid members going to the polls, he claimed he would sign Haaland if he won the election.
The Spanish businessman even went as far as holding up a Real Madrid shirt with ‘Haaland 9’ printed on the back.
He also vowed to sign his City team-mate Rodri, who is out of contract next summer.
Appearing on El Chiringuito, Riquelme said: “Erling Haaland and Rodri will be my star signings if I become president.”
Meanwhile, he added that he would pay the annual fee of all members if he fails to keep his promises.
Riquelme is up against incumbent Perez in the election.
Perez has already announced a deal to sign Ibrahima Konate when his Liverpool contract expires at the end of the month.
He also plans to appoint Jose Mourinho as manager if he wins the election.
City statement
City have now dismissed Riquelme’s claims and revealed they are considering legal action over the incident.
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A statement from a club spokesperson read: “The stories which have emerged from Spain regarding the future of Erling Haaland are untrue.
“There is no chance of this happening and there is no contractual clause to enable it.
“We are considering legal action for the use of our player image in this context.”
Haaland has eight years remaining on his current City deal, which is set to expire in the summer of 2034.
The 25-year-old extended his stay at the Etihad Stadium by signing a new contract in January of last year.
Since joining the club from Borussia Dortmund in 2022, Haaland has scored 162 goals in 198 appearances across all competitions.
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As well as winning three Premier League golden boots, he has also lifted nine trophies with City.
Those include a pair of league titles, the Club World Cup and the Champions League.