Erling Haaland officially becomes a free agent

Posted Friday, January 21, 2022 by

Erling Haaland is officially a free agent at last.

But the Norwegian goal machine isn't leaving Borussia Dortmund – at least not until the end of the season when his unbelievably low £63m release clause kicks in.

For now, Haaland has left Nike, with his deal with the American apparel giants officially ending this month. The striker was largely thought to be heading to Puma, too, but rather like with his on-field services, there may be a bidding war for his signature.

Adidas and Puma are apparently set to contest the race for Haaland, with the man himself wearing an Adidas top recently on Instagram, fuelling the intrigue. The two companies were formed by feuding German brothers – and there's an urban legend that it's a sackable offence for any employee of one of the two companies to wear the other's clothes on site.

The war for who will sponsor Erling Haaland could well take an interesting turn, as a few of the clubs who want him also have sponsorship deals with Adidas and Puma.

Manchester City are Puma's biggest brand. Were Haaland to link up with Pep Guardiola's side, he would become the club's biggest star, undoubtedly, and Puma would unsurprisingly be thrilled with sponsoring both player and team.

Likewise, however, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Manchester United are all key players in the scramble for the striker – and all are elite clubs on the Adidas client list. Bayern, especially, are considered one of the flagship brands for the company, given Adi's German heritage along with Bayern's status as the best side in the Bundesliga.