Guardiola tight-lipped as City close in on signing Haaland

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said he has been told he cannot speak about the Premier League club's potential new signing Erling Haaland until the transfer is done.

Norwegian striker Haaland, 21, is one of the hottest prospects when the transfer window opens having scored 85 goals in 88 games for Borussia Dortmund since his debut in January 2020.

"Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City have told me I'm not allowed to say anything until the deal is done," Guardiola told reporters on Tuesday.

"I cannot talk, I'm sorry. There's plenty of time to talk. I would love to talk, honestly. They tell me not to talk, from a legal perspective, not because I don't want to."

Several top clubs including Real Madrid, Paris St Germain and City, among others, have been linked with the player at times.

Sky Germany, which holds the rights to the Bundesliga, reported on Monday the player had informed the club of his wish to leave and that Manchester City had contacted the club over the player's release clause.

Several other media, including Bild newspaper and Kicker magazine, citing unnamed sources, also said a deal could be finalised in the coming days.