Manchester City's bid to lure Erling Haaland to the Etihad has reached the final stage, with the English giants striking a deal with his representatives, British newspaper The Daily Mail reported.
According to the media outlet, the Premier League holders have offered him a package of more than £500,000 ($650,000) per week, which would make the 21-year-old the highest paid footballer in the United Kingdom.
Man United's Cristiano Ronaldo is currently the top earner in the English league with a reported weekly salary of £385,000 ($500,000).
After agreeing terms with the player, City will now ask his current employers, Dortmund, to invoke his reported £63-million ($82 million) release clause and if discussions with the Bundesliga side are positive, the club would publicly announce his signing in the next week or within the fortnight.
Haaland's fulfilment of so much potential so young may explain City's enthusiasm to sign him. At 21, he is among the youngest of the established superstars in the sport. The Norway international is 18 months younger than Kylian Mbappe, who turned 23 in December.
The Leeds-born football star has a long career ahead of him, and is expected to fill the void left by City's all-time scorer Sergio Aguero on the attack.
Ever since the Argentine forward left for Barcelona and subsequently retired with heart issues, Pep Guardiola's side has been struggling up front.
Though City are top of the Premier League table, lacking a world class-striker has hurt them badly of late, particularly in England's other domestic competitions.
This was obvious in their recent loss to rivals Liverpool in the FA Cup semis as the Reds managed to secure a 3-2 triumph in an entertaining encounter at the Etihad over the Easter weekend.
Guardiola, who rates Haaland highly, believes that he's the man who could solve his side's perennial offensive problems and end his over-reliance on midfielders like Jack Grealish and Kevin De Bruyne.
While Dortmund has made no public announcement regarding Haaland's transfer in the past few months, City have been the frontrunners to secure his signature for some time now — with Guardiola reportedly telling the club's management that he wants him at "any cost".
The Catalan manager failed to sign Tottenham talisman Harry Kane last summer and doesn't want another deal to fall apart, especially for a player of Haaland's calibre.
The young star is among the hottest properties in football, having scored 82 goals in 85 appearances for Dortmund in all competitions since January 2020.