Erling Haaland's agent reveals "structured" career plan for Manchester City striker

Rafaela Pimenta - one of the senior representatives of Manchester City striker, Erling Haaland - has admitted to a "structured" career plan for her client, speaking during recent interviews.

The former RB Salzburg and Borussia Dortmund forward arrived in Manchester from the latter in the summer transfer window.

Signed for a reported £51 million, via a favourable release clause in his Bundesliga club's contract, Manchester City secured what was perhaps the deal of the summer.

While his City career is only a matter of months in, talk has been rife as to what the future could hold for football's most exciting striker.

There has been plenty of speculation over a release clause being embedded into Erling Haaland's Etihad Stadium contract, and as such, that has contributed to widespread talk of a future move to La Liga for example.

Speaking during a recent interview with Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, as translated and relayed by Football Italia, Rafaela Pimenta opened up on the reasons behind Erling Haaland's move to Manchester City in the first place.

It is a known fact that the Norwegian was one of the most sought after players across Europe last summer, but ultimately opted to make the switch to the Etihad Stadium over the likes of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

"The choice of Erling (Haaland) was first and foremost a technical one," Pimenta told Gazzetta. "When (Pep) Guardiola and (Manchester) City gave guarantees on his use on the pitch the negotiation went forward.

She continued, “The precedent of Zlatan (Ibrahimovic) didn’t weigh in, because the agent has to take a step back from the player’s interest. He (Erling Haaland) and (Kylian) Mbappé are certainly the stars destined to pick up the legacy of (Lionel) Messi and (Cristiano) Ronaldo."

Rafaela Pimenta - a lawyer by trade - has also spoken to Spanish outlet Marca on the subject of Haaland.

Much has been made about whether the young forward will look to achieve great things across the European game, as opposed to a prolonged career with Manchester City.

His career path at present would indicate that being the case, however there is belief in some quarters that the lifestyle on offer at City - as well as the on-field success - could sway Haaland's thinking.

Rafaela Pimenta has spoken of what the plan could be for her most high-profile client, and suggested that a "structured" blueprint is already on the table within the Haaland camp.

Haaland has been banging them in for City this season. Image: Alamy

"Perfectly planned career? I do not know," Pimenta admitted. "What I know is that it is structured. What happens I cannot know. Things can change. We are clear about what we want to do."

She continued, “When his father (Alf-Inge Haaland) first arrived at the office, he looked at me and told me that the most important thing was planning, the project. He found the right site and agency because we always have a project for all players.

“It is a professional project, but we are talking about variables that we do not control. They are all wonderful, but 20 years ago we outlined a project with a Brazilian player and he had five serious injuries. The project could not work. With Erling we have had a project from the beginning and the project is working. Keep going."

Erling Haaland is currently on a break from Manchester City action, with the large majority of his club teammates away on international duty at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

For Haaland and Norway however, their failure to qualify for the tournament means they have been granted an extended break until club football returns on December 22.