Borussia Dortmund forward Erling Braut Haaland has reportedly overtaken Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi as Manchester City's top transfer target for the summer window.
The Citizens will be waving goodbye to club record goalscorer Sergio Aguero this summer, which would leave Gabriel Jesus as the only recognised senior striker in Pep Guardiola's ranks.
City have been linked with a host of big names as they bid to replace the departing Aguero, but Guardiola has claimed that signing a world-class striker at this moment in time is "almost impossible" given the current economic climate.
However, The Mirror reports that Guardiola is secretly harbouring ambitions of an audacious transfer for Haaland, and the club are now set to prioritise a move for the Norwegian over Messi, who is understood to be leaning towards a new Barcelona deal.
The report adds that City could offer to waive the 15% sell-on clause they inserted in Jadon Sancho's contract to boost their chances of signing Haaland, but Guardiola is not willing to cave in to Mino Raiola's demands of a £600k weekly wage for his client, and Dortmund's £130m asking price could also prove problematic.
Haaland has struck 33 goals in 32 games for Dortmund across all competitions this term, but he failed to find the target as Edin Terzic's men suffered a 2-1 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Ben Knapton
