Barcelona believe Salzburg’s €100m Erling Haaland demands are “disproportionate”

Erling Haaland

The striker has burst onto the scene this season with a remarkable run of form in Austria and the Champions League.

Haaland, the son of former Manchester City, Leeds and Nottingham Forest midfielder Alf-Inge, has already notched 26 goals in 18 games in all competitions, including seven in Europe.

That form has seen him earn links with several of European football’s biggest clubs, including Barcelona.

But ESPN FC reports that sources at the Camp Nou say the €100m price tag Salzburg have put on the player is deemed excessive.

They say that the fee is “disproportionate” and “not in line with his market value”.

Barca are therefore unlikely to make a move for the Norwegian unless the Austrian club significantly reduce their demands, according to the source.

Premier League sides such as Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal have been linked with a move for the 19-year-old.

However, recent reports suggested that he could be willing to snub a move to England in order to join RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga.

Juventus and Real Madrid are among the youngster’s other suitors.

Haaland made history by becoming the first player to score seven goals in his first four Champions League games.

Barca consider him an option as they look for a long-term successor to Luis Suarez, who turns 33 in January.

But as things stand, the Catalan giants don’t believe he is worth what Salzburg are demanding.

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Alasdair Mackenzie is a freelance journalist based in Rome, and a FourFourTwo contributor since 2015. When not pulling on the FFT shirt, he can be found at Reuters, The Times and the i. An Italophile since growing up on a diet of Football Italia on Channel 4, he now counts himself among thousands of fans sharing a passion for Ross County and Lazio.