Erling Haaland has reignited rumours linking him with a transfer to Real Madrid after admitting he misses playing with Jude Bellingham.
Erling Haaland Fuels Real Madrid Transfer Rumours
Manchester City star Erling Haaland has fuelled rumours linking him with a move to Real Madrid after admitting that he misses playing with Los Blancos and England star Jude Bellingham.
The pair used to play alongside each other for Borussia Dortmund between 2020 and 2022.
They were both part of Die Borussen‘s 2020/21 DFB Pokal-winning squad.
Haaland departed Westfalenstadion for City in 2022 in a deal worth £51.2m, while Bellingham secured his dream move to Real Madrid in 2023 in a deal worth close to £120m with add-ons.
They shared the pitch once again on Wednesday evening, however this time as opponents.
Doing so seemingly sparked some fond memories for Haaland, who commented after the full-time whistle: “Jude Bellingham is such a good guy. I miss him, I miss playing with him.”
The Norwegian scored City’s second of the evening from the penalty spot as they claimed a 2-1 victory in the Champions League. Rodrygo initially opened the scoring for the hosts in the 28th minute before Nico O’Reilly responded seven minutes later to restore the parity.
It takes Haaland to 55 goals in 54 appearances in Europe’s premier club football competition.
Not only was he in form on the pitch, but also off the pitch, having sent the CBS studio into hysterics after labelling Jamie Carragher a ‘loose cannon’ for his Mohamed Salah comments.
City are now favoured ahead of Real in the Champions League winner betting odds. Premier League leaders Arsenal top the market as favourites, followed by Bayern Munich and PSG.
Haaland Comment Reignites Real Madrid Links
While simply saying he misses Bellingham doesn’t suggest a move to Real Madrid is on the horizon anytime soon, it could imply that the 25-year-old is open to the idea in the future.
It has sent some fans into a frenzy however, with many urging the club to ‘bring him home’.
The striker has long been linked with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu, and many claim that he’s destined to be a Galactico, however a transfer in the near future seems unlikely.
This is mainly due to the fact that he signed a new long-term deal at the Etihad last year.
Haaland penned a record-breaking 10-year contract with Pep Guardiola’s side, extending his stay with the 10-time English champions to the summer of 2034.
Upon signing the deal, he commented: “I am really happy to have signed my new contract and to be able to look forward to spending even more time at this great Club.
“Manchester City is a special Club, full of fantastic people with amazing supporters and it’s the type of environment that helps bring the best out of everybody.
“I want to keep developing, keep working to get better and look to do my best to try and help us achieve more success going forward.”
Haaland’s stint with the Cityzens has been nothing short of extraordinary, having won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, a Champions League title and a Super Cup since joining.
During that time, he has scored an incredible 145 goals in 167 matches in all competitions.
He has also won two Premier League Golden Boots and currently tops the division’s goalscoring charts in 2025/26 with 15 goals, four goals ahead of Brentford’s Igor Thiago in second place.
Haaland returns to action with City away at Crystal Palace in the English top-flight on Sunday.
