Pep Guardiola accepts Erling Haaland’s bumper new contract could prevent Manchester City signing any more top-level strikers.
The City manager’s comments come as the club appear to be closing in on a deal for Eintracht Frankfurt forward Omar Marmoush.
The prolific Haaland, who has scored 111 goals in just 126 appearances for City, committed himself to the reigning Premier League champions until 2034 when he signed a remarkable new nine-and-a-half year deal this week.
His long-term presence in the squad will limit opportunities for others up front, meaning any new recruits will have to accept a back-up role or – potentially like Marmoush – offer something different to get into the team.
Guardiola said: “The bigger strikers will not come to be a replacement for Erling, so we have to find them young to accept the role.
“Or they’re different players – like Oscar (Bobb), (James) McAtee, Phil (Foden), and maybe without Erling we’ll play a different way, with a false nine, with alternatives, with more runners from outside, more runners for the channels inside. We will find solutions.
“We could not go to sign (Kylian) Mbappe, for example, as a top-class player because normally we play with just one striker.
“But of course we have alternatives just in case Erling cannot play all the minutes. We have other options.”
City are understood to have agreed a fee with Frankfurt for Egypt international Marmoush, who can operate across the front line.
He will effectively replace Julian Alvarez in the squad after the Argentinian left for Atletico Madrid last summer.
Haaland’s new deal locks down one cornerstone of the team at a time when other members of an ageing squad are likely to be moving on.
Captain Kyle Walker has asked to leave the club and, after being left out of the last two games, could again be absent as City travel to Ipswich on Sunday.
Another veteran star, 33-year-old playmaker Kevin De Bruyne, is now into the final six months of his contract and could be open to approaches from elsewhere.
Guardiola said: “Of course it can happen. I’m pretty sure when Kevin was 22-23 and could offer 10 years maybe we wouldn’t accept it, but now it’s different.
“But I’m not thinking about what will happen next season. I’m thinking about Ipswich and, three days later, Paris. And three days later, Chelsea. Then we have a tough month in February.
“This is what I’m thinking. Next season I’m not thinking about for one second.”
