Guardiola 'to put Raiola issues aside in £100m pursuit of Haaland'

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is willing to put his difficult relationship with agent Mino Raiola aside so he can enter the £100million race for Erling Haaland.

With the signing of a top-class goalscorer Guardiola's highest priority this summer, it is no surprise that he is extremely keen on Haaland, whose meteoric rise in the Bundesliga has seen his score an astonishing 43 goals in 44 appearances for Borussia Dortmund.

But the Norwegian is represented by Raiola, who famously fell out with Guardiola over his treatment of superstar client Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Barcelona. But this enmity will reportedly not get in the way of Man City's pursuit of Haaland.

A senior Etihad source told The Mirror: 'There have been dealings with Mino Raiola in the past and if he represents a player we are interested in, it won't be an issue.

'An example of how these things work happened a few years ago when there was an exchange of views between Pep and Yaya Toure's agent (Dimitri Seluk).

'That didn't prevent Yaya from signing a new contract to stay with the club.

'Personal issues don't dictate what is best for the club.'

Haaland, the son of former Man City midfielder Alf Inge, is arguably the hottest transfer prospect this summer, with at least 10 clubs interest in signing him.

A buy-out clause in his contract that comes in next year means Dortmund are keen to offload the 20-year-old in the summer instead for a huge fee in the region of £100m.

Guardiola is increasingly unable to rely on an aging Sergio Aguero to spearhead his attack. The 32-year-old Argentine has spent large chunks of this season injured.

As well as Haaland, Man City have been linked a move for Lionel Messi should he decide to leave Barcelona in the summer, and are also reportedly preparing a £90m bid for Tottenham's Harry Kane.

The animosity between Guardiola and Raiola is so great that in 2018 the agent gave an extraordinary interview in which he called the Man City manager a 'zero' of a person.