The three clubs Erling Haaland could leave Man City for despite signing unprecedented 10-year contract with Premier League

When the news first broke that Erling Haaland had signed a never-before-seen ten-year contract with Manchester City, the whole football world shook like an earthquake. Nobody ever imagined that a superstar in modern football would tie himself down to a single club for a whole decade. In a time when players switch teams every two years, the idea of a ten-year contract sounded like something from the old days of legends. Manchester City fans celebrated like they had just won the Champions League again, because to them keeping Haaland until 2034 felt bigger than signing any new player. They believed they had secured their goal machine for the rest of his prime years, and the blue side of Manchester exploded with happiness. Everywhere people talked about it, in homes, in pubs, in offices, even in schools, because Haaland is not the kind of striker you ignore. He is a natural killer in front of goal, a man who was born to destroy nets and break records.

But behind all the joy and all the happiness, something deeper started forming, a quiet whisper that later turned into a massive storm. At first nobody paid attention to it, because everyone was still drunk on excitement. But soon insiders began spreading info that the truth behind the contract was even more shocking than the deal itself. Haaland may have signed for ten years, yes, but he had not given up control of his future. The football universe suddenly went silent again when it was revealed that there were three clubs in the world who Haaland could still leave Manchester City for. Three clubs powerful enough, rich enough, and glamorous enough to make even the deadliest striker reconsider his future. Three clubs that could test Manchester City in a way no club had tested them before. Real Madrid. Barcelona. Paris Saint-Germain. These were the only doors left open for Haaland if he ever wanted to walk away from the Etihad. And according to reports from Spain and France, those doors were not locked. Those clubs were watching. Those clubs were waiting.

The story began to unfold like a long movie full of suspense and drama. Even as City posted pictures of Guardiola hugging Haaland after the signing, even as fans waved banners and sang songs about their Viking hero, rumours started spreading that Real Madrid never gave up hope of signing him. For years they had dreamed of building a new generation of Galacticos, and Haaland was always at the centre of that dream. For Madridistas, Kylian Mbappé might be a star, Vinicius Jr might be a superstar, but Haaland is something more — he is the kind of striker who changes the identity of a club. Florentino Perez, the man who brought Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo, Beckham and Ramos to the Bernabeu, has been obsessed with the idea of Haaland wearing white. The new contract didn’t scare him, it only motivated him. And so rumours started that Perez was working behind closed doors to prepare a future deal, waiting for the perfect time like a hunter waiting for the weakest moment of the prey.

At the same time, Barcelona were watching too, although their situation was complicated. They were drowning in financial problems, but that did not stop them from dreaming. They looked at Haaland as the man who could restore their greatness, the man who could make Camp Nou roar again the way Messi used to. Their president Joan Laporta knew that money was an obstacle, but Barcelona is a club that never accepts that something is impossible. Even when logic says no, Barcelona always says maybe. And that is why insiders claimed that if Laporta ever found a way to bring financial sunshine to Barcelona again, Haaland would be the first name on their priority list.

But then came the most surprising one of all — Paris Saint-Germain. Since losing Lionel Messi, Neymar and later Mbappé, PSG needed a new global symbol, a new superstar who could make Europe fear them again. They have endless money, unstoppable ambition, and a strong desire to finally win the Champions League. According to insiders in France, PSG are ready to offer Haaland everything — money, power, and a team built only around him. They are ready to make him the center of everything, the king of Paris. And Haaland knows that PSG are not a club you ignore easily, because money talks loudly and titles can be bought when you have unlimited resources.

So while Guardiola smiled for photos and City fans danced in celebrations, the truth was that Haaland’s signing was not the end of the story, but the beginning of a bigger mystery. The striker had positioned himself like a master chess player. He gave Manchester City loyalty, security and commitment, but at the same time he kept the right to choose his future. He signed, but he did not surrender. He promised goals, but he did not give up dreams. Inside that ten-year contract was a door only three clubs had the key to. And everyone began to wonder if those keys would one day be used.

Meanwhile, Haaland continued doing what he does best — scoring goals. He scored in back-to-back Premier League matches immediately after signing the long contract, as if to tell everyone, “I am still hungry.” The whole world was talking about loyalty, ambition and money, and Haaland replied with goals. That is who he is, a man who speaks the language of football, not gossip. Pep Guardiola continued treating him like the foundation of the team, because Haaland is not just a striker for City — he is the system. He gives defenders fear, he gives teammates confidence, he gives fans hope. If Haaland stays ten years, Manchester City remain the most dangerous club in football. But if he leaves, everything changes instantly.

And that was what made the story even more dramatic. Nobody knows what Haaland is thinking. Not the reporters, not the analysts, not even the supporters. Some believe he loves Premier League football and will stay at City for his entire career. Some say he will eventually want to taste a new league, because he is a man obsessed with breaking every record in the world, not just English records. Some say he will choose Real Madrid because of the Galacticos dream. Some say he will choose Barcelona because of the legacy of big European forwards. Some say he will choose PSG because he wants to be the king of a club where everything revolves around him.

And others say something even more frightening, something that whispers through football like a rumour in the wind: Haaland might use his power to decide the perfect club at the perfect time, when he feels the moment is right. If Manchester City ever enter a decline, if Guardiola ever leaves, if injuries affect the squad, if the club stops winning trophies, if money or ambition changes — Haaland has the control to walk away. And that possibility alone has made Premier League analysts panic quietly behind their microphones because everyone knows that losing Haaland is not like losing a normal striker. Losing Haaland is losing an era.

Right now Manchester City are preparing for a Champions League clash with Club Brugge, and Haaland is expected to lead the attack. But even as he steps on the pitch, even as he smiles for the cameras, the football world keeps asking the same question again and again. Will he finish his career at Manchester City? Or will this long contract only be a bridge to one last massive move, one last world-shaking transfer that could change football forever? Nobody knows when the day of decision will come, but everyone knows that someday Haaland will decide. And when that day arrives, the world will stop to watch.

No matter what happens, one thing is certain. Manchester City have Haaland now, but the future belongs to Haaland himself. He holds the keys. He holds the power. He holds the choice. And the countdown has already begun, even while he is still scoring goals in a blue shirt. The story is not ending. The story is waiting. And the biggest twist of all is yet to come.