Manchester City will shift their attention to Erling Haaland next summer and are set for a bidding war to secure his services, according to the latest reports.
The Norwegian striker has started this season where he left off last year, scoring six goals in five games for Borussia Dortmund and getting on the scoresheet for his country in their draw against the Netherlands this week.
That has attracted the attention of Man City, who are now looking at alternatives after their failed pursuits of Harry Kane and Cristiano Ronaldo this summer left them without a true number nine for the season.
Haaland has a €75m release clause that becomes active next summer, with certain targets during the season potentially taking the clause up to €90m. However according to Sport 1 in Germany, that isn't putting off either City or Manchester United who will enter 'a bidding war' for the 20-year-old striker.
According to them, the fee matched with agent Mino Raiola's demands of €50m gross and €24m net in wages, plus €40m in fees for himself means that Bayern Munich have essentially been taken out of the race. The striker is leaning on towards a move to England over Ligue 1 with Paris Saint-Germain and with Chelsea having splashed £97.5m on Romelu Lukaku this summer, that leaves just City and United to battle it out.
Elsewhere, young striker Liam Delap is a target for Stoke City in the January transfer window on loan according to Football League World.
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The City academy star didn't leave the club on loan this summer as Guardiola promoted him to the first-team squad to help cover the attacking positions but it's reportedly a fluid situation which could be looked at again in January depending on how City's season is going.
That has got Stoke on alert, as well as Middlesbrough and Millwall, with City more open to Stoke since his dad Rory is well loved at the Bet365 Stadium for his spell there as a player.
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