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A major dispute has emerged surrounding Erling Haaland after Manchester City responded strongly to statements suggesting that the Norwegian striker could move to Real Madrid if presidential hopeful Enrique Riquelme wins the upcoming club elections.

As reported by Fabrizio Romano, the Premier League champions have firmly distanced themselves from Riquelme’s claims and are currently exploring legal measures following the unauthorised use of Haaland’s name and image in promotional materials for a Real Madrid presidential campaign.

It is worth recalling that Riquelme recently drew attention by publicly pledging to bring Haaland to the Santiago Bernabeu should he be elected as club president.

During his campaign presentation, Riquelme unveiled a Real Madrid jersey featuring Haaland’s name, asserting that an understanding was already in place to facilitate the Manchester City forward’s future transfer to Spain.

Riquelme remarked, “As a Madrid fan, it makes me happy to see the number nine shirt.”

He further attempted to reassure supporters by adding, “I’ve signed a personal guarantee stating that if I fail to meet my commitments, I will personally cover the membership fees for 100,000 members next season.”

The presidential candidate went on to make additional comments involving both Haaland and Manchester City midfielder Rodri.

“We’ll meet with City on Monday to discuss Rodri. Haaland has a release clause, and he wants to come to Madrid,” Riquelme declared.

However, these remarks have not gone down well at Manchester City.

According to the latest reports, the English club has unequivocally rejected the circulating claims and expressed strong dissatisfaction over the use of their player’s likeness and identity in an electoral campaign.

The situation has grown even more complex as reports of supposed negotiations involving Haaland’s representatives have been contradicted by individuals close to the player.

Sources close to Haaland have reportedly denied the existence of any agreement between the striker and Riquelme’s camp, further widening the gap between the public statements made by the presidential candidate and the version coming from the player’s inner circle.