Manchester City star rejects move to PSG as Real Madrid and Barcelona increase interest in him
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Manchester City’s prolific striker Erling Haaland has reportedly turned down a lucrative offer from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), fueling speculation about a potential move to Spain. According to El Nacional, Haaland rejected PSG’s multi-million proposal, opting instead to explore opportunities with Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Haaland’s impressive record at Manchester City, with 101 goals and 14 assists in 108 games, has captivated Europe’s elite clubs. His current contract expires in 2027, and Transfermarkt values him at €200 million.
Barcelona, seeking a long-term replacement for 36-year-old Robert Lewandowski, have identified Haaland as a prime target. Sporting director Deco has closely monitored the Norwegian’s progress, and signing him would be a dream move for the Catalan giants.
Real Madrid, despite acquiring Kylian Mbappe, are also keen on Haaland. Their interest suggests a desire to bolster squad depth and secure a top-class striker.
Meanwhile, the highly anticipated El Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona approaches on October 26. Both teams will welcome key players back from injuries, adding significance to the clash. Brahim Diaz (Real Madrid) and Dani Olmo (Barcelona) are expected to return, bolstering their respective squads.
Glauber Berti is something of a cult hero at the Etihad, despite barely featuring in his sole season with Manchester City
Glauber Berti only played 10 minutes of football for City but he became a cult hero
While it might not have been the most eagerly awaited debut ever it was perhaps close.
The fact it had been a season in the making and only lasted six minutes in the final game of a forgettable campaign didn’t stop the Manchester City fans rising to cheer a cult hero who left a lasting impression on the club with supporters even if he wasn’t able to make on it.
Glauber Berti’s debut came with less than 10 minutes of a forgettable 2008/09 season remaining. With a routine 1-0 win over Bolton signalling the end of the first season under Abu Dhabi ownership, attention was being drawn to the touchline.
City were on their way to finishing 10th in the Premier League, but it was the beginning of a new dawn. Yet on May 24, 2009, the Blues were saluting a figure who had become a fan favourite in his only season at the club. Berti had been on the bench 20 times without seeing any action but that May day the Brazilian defender was summoned by Mark Hughes.
The chants began as soon as he started getting ready for action, with his every touch cheered once he made his entrance. It cemented a love affair between Glauber and City that continues to this day.
“When I was on the side of the pitch the supporters were going crazy, it was funny but I really enjoyed it,” the 41-year-old told the MEN from Brazil in 2019. “I knew the fans liked me, I was so happy with this. The supporters started chanting ‘Berti, Berti’, it was so funny.
“They recognised me, they were like ‘hey, Glauber, don’t worry, we recognise you’re here’. This gave me so much motivation to continue following Manchester City.”
For Glauber this was the best and worst of years. The friendships he made in what he describes as a welcoming squad and the support he received from the fans made it “one of the best years” of his life. But professionally it was as difficult a year as he had in a career that took in Brazil, Germany, England, Romania and the United States.
City handed the centre back a one-year contract on August 31, 2008, the same day they signed Pablo Zabaleta. Within 24 hours Sheikh Mansour’s takeover had been completed, Brazilian superstar Robinho had been signed and a new, golden chapter in City’s history was about to be written.
While the takeover appeared to come out of the blue, Glauber was well aware what was in the pipeline when he put pen to paper, and having discussed life at City with countryman Elano, the same player had a hand in convincing Robinho to make the move to Manchester.
“I knew when I signed they were going to be taken over, the people inside of the club were talking about it,” he said. “We knew before everybody else knew, when you’re inside of the club you know before.
“Elano was a big friend of Robinho, he asked him before the close of the window what it was like. At the time we talked a lot. In my time it was Jo, Robinho, Elano and me, we were friendly, we had a good relationship outside of the club, we enjoyed being in Manchester.”
The Brazilians enjoyed mixed fortunes though, none more so than Glauber.
He remembers it as a “bad” time professionally, but his attitude to training and his approach to life on the fringes at City epitomise why he was so highly thought of by teammates and fans.
After handing him his only City appearance, Hughes admitted that it was Glauber’s teammates who were “all keen that he got an opportunity to get on the field in a sky blue shirt,” which speaks volumes for the impact he made on the club in his only season in Manchester.
“Every training session I played it like a game, the guys were saying ‘Glauber, you have potential, why don’t you play?’, he said.
Glauber Berti (right) played ten minutes all season
“I just waited for my opportunity and it came in the last game, but it was bad for me. It was a really difficult time because I expected to play, but I never stopped trying, I never gave up, I trained hard all the time to respect my teammates and fight for my opportunity.”
Those opportunities had been denied to him by Hughes, who kept him on the bench for so long in 2008/09, but the one-cap Brazilian international even refuses to criticise his former manager.
While most footballers would be queuing up to fire personal barbs at their boss in his situation, Glauber has nothing but respect for Hughes, for his work on the training ground and his honesty.
Looking back on his relationship with Hughes, Glauber said: “He said to me all the time, ‘stay strong, you’ll get an opportunity’. At the time City had a lot of really good players, [Vincent] Kompany was playing midfield, when a central defender got injured he came into the defence and he was great.
“I understood what happened, I was an intelligent guy. I can’t say Mark Hughes was bad to me, he was a really good coach, he had a good character. I never played but I liked him because in my opinion he never made a bad relationship with me, he was honest and he had a lot of good players, a lot of options.”
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