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Norwegian forward Erling Haaland appeared to tell Al-Hilal goalkeeper Yassine Bounou to join him at Manchester City. The attacker was seen gesturing at the Moroccan shotstopper after City's 3-4 loss to Hilal in the Round of 16 of the FIFA Club World Cup.
Bounou spent a major chunk of his career in LaLiga, plying his trade for Atletico Madrid, Real Zaragoza, Girona and Sevilla. Although he was considered a solid goalkeeper in his early days, he really took the world by storm at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The shot-stopper made some unbelievable saves as Morocco shocked the footballing world to finish third at the tournament. He earned a reported €21 million move to Hilal in the summer of 2023, and has since been one of the best goalkeepers in Saudi Arabia.
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Bounou has kept 36 clean sheets and conceded just 83 goals in 91 appearances for Hilal across all competitions. In their clash against Manchester City at the CWC, he was at his very best, denying star forwards Haaland, Savinho, Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden on multiple occasions.
Bounou made a whopping 10 saves, keeping Guardiola's side at bay throughout 120 minutes. After the game, Haaland was seen gesturing towards the Moroccan, with many speculating that the former was asking the latter to move to City.
Manchester City's current shotstopper Ederson has been one of the best goalkeepers in world football for almost the entirety of the past decade. Although the Brazilian has rubbished any rumours of him departing the club, the Cityzens will have a decision to make after a disappointing end to their CWC campaign.
The onus will be on Erling Haaland to deliver after a trophyless 2024-25 campaign with Manchester City
Despite Erling Haaland's solid performances, Manchester City endured a rare trophyless campaign in the 2024-25 season after being knocked out of the Club World Cup.
The Norwegian racked up 34 goals and five assists in 48 appearances for City across all competitions. However, Pep Guardiola's misfiring side fell short in every single tournament that they played.
A third-placed finish in the EPL, 13 points behind champions Liverpool, was their lowest league finish since the 2016-17 campaign. They lost 2-1 to Tottenham Hotspur in the fourth round of the EFL Cup and suffered a disappointing 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace in the final of the FA Cup.
In the UEFA Champions League, Manchester City were knocked out 6-3 on aggregate by Spanish giants Real Madrid. Although they lifted the FA Community Shield by beating archrivals Manchester United 7-6 on penalties (1-1 after extra time), they failed to secure a major trophy in the 2024-25 campaign.
City have already spent over £100 million on top talent like Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Rayan Cherki, even before the commencement of the summer transfer window (July 1).
With Rodri back to full fitness and Haaland having more support in attack, it will be interesting to see how Guardiola's side approaches the 2025-26 season.
