Manchester City are preparing to open in-house talks regarding a contract extension for Erling Haaland, according to reports.

What's the latest on Haaland's future?

The Norwegian international first arrived in the Premier League when he made the initial £51m big-money move, rising to £85.5m, from Borussia Dortmund last summer, and in his 44 appearances to date, has quickly become Pep Guardiola's best-performing offensive player and second overall, just behind Kevin De Bruyne with a match rating of 7.62.

The Sky Blues striker's current deal at the Etihad isn't set to expire for another four years, but given the unbelievably positive impression he's made in the top-flight so far, his displays have been catching the attention of one particular admirer over in La Liga.

The Manchester Evening News report that Real Madrid are interested in completing a summer transfer for the 22-year-old, and the situation hasn't been helped by his agent Rafaela Pimenta who publicly admitted that it would be a "dream" for any player to move to the Bernabeu Stadium.

According to Football Insider, Manchester City are "preparing" to enter discussions with Haaland in the hope of reaching an agreement to extend his stay for a further two years on top of his contract which would keep him at the club until 2029. The Sky Blues are "eager to reward" the forward with fresh terms for his remarkable efforts during his debut season, and it's stated that he is "happy" and has "made it clear" to the necessary figures that he is "open" to putting pen to paper.

Does Haaland deserve to be offered a new contract?

Manchester City have become a completely different beast for the better since Haaland joined, and having been labelled a "monster" by talent scout Jacek Kulig for his prolific form, he 100% deserves to be tabled improved terms to fend off outside interest.

The Etihad talisman has so far posted an outstanding 58 goal contributions (50 goals and eight assists) in 44 appearances under Guardiola and has recorded a total of 99 shots since the start of the term which is higher than any other of his fellow teammates, and this form has seen him receive eight club man-of-the-match awards across all competitions.

Haaland, who currently pockets £375k-per-week, also offers excellent versatility with his ability to operate out wide on both the left and right flanks and as a second striker alongside his natural centre-forward role, so securing his services for the long-term is a no-brainer of a decision for the chiefs to make.