Manchester City Considers Legal Action Over Haaland Signing Claims
Manchester City are weighing up legal action after a Real Madrid presidential candidate publicly vowed to sign Erling Haaland and even unveiled a Madrid shirt with the striker’s name on the back.
Enrique Riquelme, a 37-year-old renewable energy magnate bidding to unseat Florentino Perez, made the bold promise live on television on Wednesday. Holding up the Haaland shirt, he declared: “He has a release clause and would like to join Real Madrid. If I become president, he will play for Real Madrid.”
That was the spark. The response was immediate.
Haaland’s camp – his father and his agent – issued a joint denial, flatly rejecting the claim. Manchester City then moved quickly to shut the story down and signal they are ready to fight.
“The stories which have emerged from Spain regarding the future of Erling Haaland are untrue,” their statement read. “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.”
In one television appearance, a presidential campaign promise has turned into a cross-border row involving one of the game’s biggest stars, one of its wealthiest clubs and the political theatre of a Real Madrid election.
Riquelme did not stop at Haaland. He also pledged to bring in City’s midfield lynchpin Rodri, describing him as “a great player, in a position where Madrid need to strengthen.”
“We have spoken to his agent. We have to respect his club, but if I’m president he will play for Madrid. I will do everything possible,” he said, doubling down on a transfer strategy built on raiding the Premier League champions.
For Perez, who has ruled Real Madrid for most of the past two decades, this election was supposed to be a controlled reset. He called the vote himself, seeking a fresh mandate after two seasons without a major trophy and growing unrest at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Instead, he now faces a challenger willing to promise galácticos, giveaways and even a different manager.
Riquelme’s campaign has been built on scale and spectacle. He has promised a “members’ city” for fans around the club’s training base and vowed to slash annual membership fees by up to 50% if Madrid fail to win the Champions League next season. It is a populist pitch aimed at a fanbase frustrated by empty seasons and rising costs.
He has also taken direct aim at one of Perez’s most controversial decisions: the move to bring Jose Mourinho back to the Bernabeu. Mourinho’s appointment can only be formally confirmed if Perez wins the election, and Riquelme has made clear he wants a different face on the touchline.
The name at the top of his wishlist is Jurgen Klopp.
Riquelme and his team have hinted that the former Liverpool manager is their primary target. Speaking to The Athletic last month, Riquelme said: “Naturally, I would love for profiles of that calibre, and others like them, to coach this club.”
It is an audacious vision: Haaland and Rodri pulled from Manchester City, Klopp in the dugout, a rebuilt relationship with the fans off the pitch. For now, it is still just a manifesto.
Reality bites in the numbers. Just under 100,000 Real Madrid members are eligible to vote on Sunday, 7 June. Perez remains the overwhelming favourite, having not faced a serious challenger in 20 years and still commanding deep institutional support.
Yet this time he is not running unopposed. The club has gone two seasons without major silverware, the Bernabeu has grown restless, and an outsider is promising to rip up the script.
The Haaland row has given the election a sharper edge. City’s threat of legal action over the use of their player’s image drags Madrid’s internal politics into the wider European spotlight and underlines how combustible modern football power struggles have become.
On Sunday, the socios will decide whether Riquelme’s grand promises are a fantasy pitch or the start of a new era.
