Erling Haaland has signed an extraordinary nine-and-a-half-year contract with Manchester City, but what do we know about the finances of the deal?
The deal will see Haaland at the Etihad Stadium until 2034, making it the longest contract in the Premier League and offsetting long-standing ties with Real Madrid.
Here we discuss some of the key questions surrounding the deal and what it means for Manchester City's rebuild – amid the looming 115 charges for alleged financial breaches – with help from Sky Sports News reporter Ben Ransom.
How did Man City pull off this deal?
What an asset for Manchester City. It's absolutely titanic.
It's a deal that took some time to come together. I'm told there have been months and months of negotiations between outgoing football director Txiki Begiristain, aided by incoming Hugo Viana and Manchester City executives, and Haaland and his team.
But he always wanted to extend his stay here. He absolutely loves life at Manchester City. There has always been a feeling externally that Haaland was here as a stepping stone to Real Madrid, but he has committed his future here.
It shows how much he enjoys it.
He is someone who was born into a family that had a real connection with City through his father Alfie Haaland. When he arrived, he really wanted to be part of the furniture. He has already written his name into Manchester City folklore.
What a moment to release this news…
'What a moment' indeed. How should the news be read alongside the ongoing battle with the Premier League over the alleged 115 charges?
The news of Haaland's contract extension comes in the context of Manchester City's battle against the Premier League over more than a hundred allegations of alleged financial breaches.
Considering the harshest possible punishment is relegation, this is a statement of intent from City to reinforce their belief that they have done nothing wrong.
In fact, City believe that everyone in the Premier League should celebrate the fact that one of the best players in the world has committed to playing in this competition above the likes of LaLiga.
Manchester City has always maintained its innocence over charges alleging breaches of Premier League financial rules.
Like us, they are now waiting for an independent panel to decide their verdict, and possible sanctions if they are found to have broken the rules, but Haaland's new one is certainly a statement of intent from City.
Is Haaland now the highest-paid player in the Premier League?
Manchester City is keeping the finances of the deal closely secret.
But the contract will see an improvement on his previous deal, which we understand was in the region of £400,000 per week.
It is certainly the biggest contract in Premier League history, considering the length of the deal and the fact that he is City's highest earner.
It's hard to dispute the numbers when you consider Haaland has scored 111 goals in 126 City appearances in all competitions so far.
Does the deal contain release clauses?
Sky Sports News understands Haaland's new contract contains NO release clauses, meaning all clauses in his previous contract have been removed.
As far as City is concerned, they are planning for the long-term future with Haaland. The deal cuts all ties with Real Madrid.
Why nine and a half years?
We're told the length of the deal has absolutely nothing to do with spreading the costs of complying with PSR rules.
Manchester City believes it has sufficient headroom in this regard thanks to the profits it has made in the transfer market in recent seasons.
My rudimentary understanding of the PSR rules is that write-offs are now limited to being spread over five years of a player's contract.
The fact that it is a nine and a half year contract therefore rather points to the fact that Haaland is seen as one of the best players in the world and that City want to keep for as long as possible.
What does Haaland's contract say about Man City's rebuild under Guardiola?
It shows that Haaland is the man Manchester City want to build their team around.
Pep Guardiola is here for another two years (if he serves out the full term of his own contract extension), so in theory Haaland will be a key part of the transition to the next manager – whoever that is.
There is no doubt that a rebuild is needed as so many of City's top players age. You would expect that when recruiting, a younger target group would be strongly favored over future vacancies.
How concerned should the rest of the Premier League be?
Terribly. Haaland has tormented Premier League defenses from the moment he arrived. As part of the unveiling of the new contract, he has already written an apology to the Premier League defenders and said they will not be gunning for him anytime soon.
His tally of 79 Premier League goals since the start of the 2022/23 season is 24 higher than the next player on the list, Liverpool's Mohamed Salah.
The numbers underline just how devastating he has been, scoring at an unprecedented rate of 0.99 goals per 90 minutes. If you continue at the same pace, he will break Alan Shearer's record of 260 Premier League goals with several years left on his contract.
He is already the deadliest goalscorer in the world, let alone the Premier League. It's worth noting that at 24, he hasn't even reached his peak yet. The thought that his best is yet to come is a frightening prospect for defenders across the division.
Haaland has the potential to break all top goalscoring records in Premier League history and has been a key part of what City has won over the past two seasons.
Expect more goals (and trophies) to follow.
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