Man City can break Haaland dependency with €50m signing

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 23 Oct 2025 09:41 BST
• 9 min read

Analysis

Manchester City are back. Pep Guardiola’s side have pieced together a nine-match undefeated run, during which they have won seven times, including a comfortable 2-0 Champions League win over Villarreal on Tuesday.

If there is a lingering doubt over City, though, it has been their overwhelming reliance on Erling Haaland to score their goals this season. In the Premier League, the Norway international has delivered 11 times in just eight matches, while overall he has raced to 15 strikes for the Cityzens this season.

Haaland’s tally is nearly twice the rest of the squad combined, with Phil Foden the only player to have scored more than a single goal. He is on two for the campaign.

Current ETV

Erling Haaland

F (C)

Man City

Erling Haaland

F (C)

Man City

€151.4M

ETV Range

€136.3M - €166.6M

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The former Borussia Dortmund star, meanwhile, is not invulnerable. In each of the last two seasons, he has had a spell of more than a month due to injury.

What happens to City now if he were to suffer a similar problem is unclear. There is no like-for-like alternative, with Omar Marmoush, more frequently preferred on the wing, the likely stop gap.

Guardiola could, however, take advantage of a release clause to snap up a high-quality attacker for his side in much the same manner that the Etihad side did to sign Haaland in 2022.

Man City’s Guirassy opportunity

Dortmund striker Serhou Guirassy has a release clause worth €50m in his contract that only a handful of clubs can trigger, according to SportBild.

City appear on this list along with Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.

Guardiola’s side looks a smart fit for the Guinea international striker, who offers similar scoring power to Haaland. Guirassy has 44 goals in 60 outings for Dortmund, showing that he could relieve some of the burden from the 25-year-old.

How Guirassy compares with Haaland

With an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €47.3m, his release clause is almost bang on the money and is the type of money City would expect to sign a forward for.

From City’s perspective, he would be a strong fit for the club. SciSports’ Career Advice tool, shows that he would fit Guardiola’s style and formation almost flawlessly.

Any concerns over the move would come from whether the Manchester side could persuade Guirassy to play second fiddle to Haaland. City only score moderately in terms of the player’s development – though at this comparatively late stage of his career this is unlikely to be a problem – but getting just two stars for playing time may be more of an issue.

Guardiola can put forward a compelling case to the French-born striker, who has worked his way up from the lower reaches of the French game with the likes of Laval and Amiens to become one of the most feared strikers in the world.

Man City can offer him perhaps his one shot at the really big time.

It’s a move that certainly fits for the Premier League club, with Guirassy the perfect understudy for Haaland.