Manchester City believe they are on course to seal the signing of Erling Haaland, 90min understands.
Although insistent that nothing has been fully agreed with either Borussia Dortmund or the player, 90min has been told that the Premier League champions are on course to land one of the world's most in-demand players.
The brilliant Norwegian has a clause in his contract which means he can leave for just over £60m - which is arguably less than half his market value. The clause needs to be triggered this month, via official notification in writing from both City and the player's camp.
90min revealed last week that City were still hoping to come to agreement with Dortmund over a deal that would have seen them pay slightly more than the release clause - so they could pay in instalments rather than a one-off payment.
However, City were always aware that they may have to pay the release clause and doing so will not be a problem if required.
Talks over a deal for Haaland have been ongoing for the last few weeks, and City believe they are now heading towards a conclusion.
Haaland is set to surpass current top earner Kevin De Bruyne with his overall deal - when bonuses and appearances fees are taken into account - but City do not believe it is to such an extent that would cause upset within their current squad.
Talks are ongoing over other fees that will be required to complete the deal and 90min can confirm that Haaland's father Alf-Inge is taking an increasingly important role in the talks.
While finances are clearly important to the move, sources close to Haaland have confirmed that talks between City and the player over his role at the club have been crucial to the recent progression.
Haaland had, up to last week, been uncommitted about choosing his next club - but now it is believed that the 21-year-old has been convinced by City's plans for him going forward.
90min understands that City have pushed ahead with their interest since the turn of the year when Pep Guardiola gave the green-light to the club's hierarchy to go ahead and pursue a deal.
Real Madrid, Barcelona, PSG and Bayern Munich have all held talks with Haaland's camp in recent months, but City firmly believe they are in pole position to seal what will be one of the biggest deals we are likely to see in 2022.
As for Dortmund, they have told Haaland and his camp that they want his future finalised by the end of the month as they themselves are pushing ahead with their own plans for next season, and are confident of announcing deals in the near future for young German duo Karim Adeyemi and Nico Schlotterbeck.
Source : 90min