Manchester City Contemplates Legal Action Over Real Madrid's Haaland Claims
Manchester City are considering legal action after a Real Madrid presidential candidate publicly claimed he would sign Erling Haaland and even unveiled a Madrid shirt with the striker’s name on it.
Enrique Riquelme, a 37-year-old renewable energy tycoon challenging Florentino Perez for the presidency, appeared on television on Wednesday and held up a Real Madrid jersey bearing “Haaland” on the back. He then laid out his promise in stark terms.
“He has a release clause and would like to join Real Madrid. If I become president, he will play for Real Madrid,” Riquelme said.
That was the spark. The response from Haaland’s camp and from Manchester City was immediate and emphatic.
Haaland’s father and his agent issued a joint statement flatly denying the claims, before City moved to shut the story down.
“The stories which have emerged from Spain regarding the future of Erling Haaland are untrue,” the 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 the middle of a high-stakes election at the Santiago Bernabeu, Riquelme has chosen star names as campaign weapons. Haaland is not the only City player in his sights.
He also vowed to move for Rodri, the midfielder who has become the metronome of Pep Guardiola’s side.
“He is a great player, in a position where Madrid need to strengthen,” Riquelme said. “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.”
The promises underline the scale of his pitch to Madrid’s nearly 100,000 eligible voting members. This is the first time in 20 years that Perez has faced a challenger, after two trophyless seasons have stirred frustration in the stands and unease in the boardroom.
Riquelme has built his campaign on grand gestures and sweeping pledges. He has promised a “members’ city” for supporters around the club’s training base, turning the area into a fan hub. He has also committed to cutting annual membership fees by up to 50% if Madrid fail to win the Champions League next season.
The message is clear: vote for change, and vote big.
There is another battlefront too – the dugout. Riquelme opposes Perez’s decision to hire Jose Mourinho as the club’s next manager. That appointment can only be formally confirmed if Perez wins the election, so the coaching position has become a referendum inside the wider vote.
Riquelme’s camp has hinted that Jurgen Klopp is their preferred choice to lead Madrid, a bold move given the German’s standing and the timing of his break from frontline management. When asked about Klopp in an interview with The Athletic last month, Riquelme kept it broad but revealing.
“Naturally, I would love for profiles of that calibre, and others like them, to coach this club,” he said.
The election, called by Perez himself to seek a renewed mandate after a period of on-field unrest and open disapproval at the Bernabeu, is scheduled for Sunday, 7 June. Despite the noise around Riquelme’s promises and his aggressive transfer talk, Perez remains the overwhelming favourite to win.
Yet the sight of a presidential hopeful brandishing a Real Madrid shirt with Haaland’s name on it, and the threat of legal action from Manchester City in response, has already ensured this campaign will not be forgotten quickly.
Whether it also marks the start of a deeper confrontation between Europe’s superclubs over how far electioneering can go is a question that may soon move from the TV studio to the courtroom.
