Erling Haaland has refused to rule out a move from Manchester City despite stressing his happiness at the club.
The prolific Norwegian was linked with Real Madrid earlier this season and he did not dismiss the idea he may one day move at a press conference on Tuesday.
Showing an awareness of media operations, the 23-year-old even said this could be the main news line to come from his appearance in front of reporters to preview Wednesday's Champions League clash against FC Copenhagen.
He was therefore especially keen to point out how satisfied he is with life at City, for whom he has scored a staggering 80 goals in 84 appearances since joining in the summer of 2022.
Haaland said: "I’m really happy, especially with the people that I’m surrounded with – the manager, the directors, the board, they are a group of amazing people and I’m really happy, I have to say.
"If I say this now it’s probably going to be a massive headline – tomorrow you never know what the future brings. But I’m happy. You can write this but you also have to write everything I said before! I’m happy."
Haaland is contracted to 2027 but refused to comment on whether he might sign a new deal.
The former Borussia Dortmund striker said: "My focus mainly now is on the pitch, there’s a lot of games.
"Two days ago was the Manchester derby, now Champions League. Sunday is Liverpool. I think I should focus on that. I don’t think I should focus on anything else at the moment."
Haaland helped City win a glorious treble in his remarkable first season at the club but getting his hands on so many trophies has not dulled his appetite to win more.
He said: "You can think about it in two ways. One thing, I came here and won it all, and the other thing, I’m 23 years old and I won everything and I got the taste of it, how it is to win everything.
"How I work is that when I feel this is, I want to win it again. Easy as that."
Such has been Haaland’s stunning impact at City that him missing a chance can now create headlines.
This was the case on Sunday when he contrived to volley over an open goal from close range against Manchester United, although he did later get on the scoresheet in a 3-1 win.
Haaland said: "People say I’m good at scoring goals but I missed the biggest chance in the world ever a couple of days ago.
"Yes, I’ve been missing, I missed a lot of chances. I will still keep on missing chances, but I will still keep on scoring goals.
"I’ll probably miss a big chance in the future as well, and people are going to criticise me, but what can I do then? Should I think of that? No, just focus on scoring more goals and to help the team."
Haaland admitted when he was younger such a miss would have bothered him a lot but now he has learned to bounce back from disappointments.
"It’s been a challenge for me," he said. "I remember when I was young I would start crying if we lost and I missed a lot of chances.
"I’ve been working on it a lot and in the end everything is in here (taps head)."
Meanwhile, Haaland's manager Pep Guardiola claims winning the Champions League is getting tougher every season.
Guardiola finally ended Manchester City's long wait for European glory when he guided the club to success in the competition last season.
It had been City’s 12th successive campaign in the Champions League and their seventh under Guardiola, who had previously won it twice as Barcelona boss.
City will look to cement their place in the quarter-finals of this year’s competition on Wednesday when they go into the second leg of their last-16 tie against FC Copenhagen holding a 3-1 aggregate lead.
City manager Guardiola said: "It’s getting better and tougher. Always I had the feeling, when I arrived in Barcelona in the first years that OK, we arrive in semi-finals.
"Now to reach the semi-finals is so difficult. The teams are better, managers are better. Everything is even more difficult than when I was a football player.
"But at the end, the better teams always go through. When you play two good games, you have more chance to go through."
Guardiola insisted, however, his triumphs with City were no more special than those he achieved with a Lionel Messi-inspired Barca side in 2011 and 2013.
He said: "I would not say that. Otherwise we would undermine what we achieved in Barcelona and I would not like that. Every moment is every moment. Every title you win is difficult. It’s not taken for granted."
City outplayed Copenhagen in the first leg at the Parken Stadium three weeks ago and could have won more comfortably than the scoreline suggests.
Yet Guardiola maintains the tie is not over and will not allow focus to switch to Sunday’s crunch Premier League showdown with title rivals Liverpool yet.
He said: "Selection will depend on how people recover from the last game and that’s all. In this competition it is so really important to be focused because in football everything can happen and you have to be aware of that."
"Everyone has to believe we can do this. Anything can happen at any time" - Jacob Neestrup
FC Copenhagen coach Jacob Neestrup admitted it was "close to impossible" to turn around the tie but they said would not stop chasing the "miracle".
Copenhagen were comprehensively outplayed by City at the Parken Stadium three weeks ago but Neestrup has not given up hope.
He said: "We know we are 3-1 down, playing the best team in the world. It is close to impossible but we will be ready for this and will try our absolute best for Danish football.
"We will keep trying. Everyone has to believe we can do this. Anything can happen at any time.
"We might not be able to get through but it makes a massive difference if we put in a good performance rather than completely fold.
"We will do our absolute best. We will not throw in the towel. We will give everything we have got.
"It might be a miracle but we have to chase it. To finish the European campaign, even if we lose, we have to put it down as 'well done' by FC Copenhagen."
The Danes are hampered by a series of injuries to key players including Sweden midfielder Viktor Claessen and forward Rasmus Falk.
Neestrup said: "We know what we are up against, we know we have a lot of players injured. This is annoying but it gives the others a chance. We are not going to hide behind excuses.
"Football is a game where you can be in the trenches for 35 minutes and then one moment can change it. Why not for us tomorrow?"
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