Manchester City are considering legal action after Enrique Riquelme publicly claimed he could bring Braut Haaland to Real Madrid if he wins Sunday’s presidential election. City said the claim was untrue, said there was no contractual route for a move, and objected to the use of the club’s player image in that context.
The dispute erupted on Thursday, a day after Riquelme said Haaland had a release clause and wanted to join Madrid. He made the remarks during a TV appearance in which he held up a Madrid shirt with Haaland’s name on the back, turning a transfer boast into a campaign weapon in a race against incumbent president Florentino Pérez. Haaland only agreed a record nine-and-a-half-year deal in January 2025, which is why the claim immediately drew scrutiny.
City’s response was blunt. The club said there was no chance of Haaland moving to Real Madrid and no contractual clause enabling it, while Haaland’s father, Alfie, and his agent, Rafaela Pimenta, also denied the claim, calling it all “very entertaining but not true.” For a club that has built its case around keeping the striker long term, the problem was not only the suggestion that he could be prised away, but the public use of his name and image as part of an election pitch.
Riquelme has gone further than Haaland. He also promised that Rodri would leave City for Madrid, even though the midfielder said on Monday that he was very calm and knew exactly where he stood. Rodri’s contract expires next summer, but his comments did little to validate the election claim; they mainly showed how quickly Real’s campaign has started testing City’s patience.
Riquelme, who is standing against Pérez in Sunday’s presidential elections, framed his promise as more than a slogan. He said he did not have Pérez’s track record but would back his commitments with a notarised guarantee and pay the annual dues of Madrid’s 100,000 members if he failed to deliver. That may play well on the campaign trail, but City’s threat of legal action suggests the club is treating the remarks as more than election theatre.
The key question now is not whether Riquelme can win votes with the promise of Braut Haaland, but whether City decide that the public claim crossed a line and turn their warning into a case. Sunday's election will settle the campaign, but it may also decide whether this argument ends as political noise or becomes a legal fight.
