Erling Haaland is still open to leaving Manchester City, despite not wanting to move to Real Madrid anymore
(Image credit: Alamy)
Erling Haaland is reportedly no longer interested in signing for Real Madrid - though that doesn't mean he isn't keen on a move away from Manchester City in the near future.
While Haaland's current contract at Manchester City is set to expire in 2027, details emerged that the Norwegian had a release clause inserted into the deal from 2025, should the Spanish giants come calling.
But while the figure for that release clause is unclear, with prices ranging from £85m to £175m-plus, it seems Haaland is no longer wanting to head to Real Madrid - instead, Barcelona is his reported preference.
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According to Spanish outlet El Nacional, Real Madrid's signing of Kylian Mbappe has caused Haaland to rethink his options. With Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr. also already at the club, as well as Brazilian wonderkid Endrick's arrival imminent, Haaland is unconvinced that he will be the main man at the Bernabeu.
The report suggests that the 23-year-old has completely ruled out joining the Champions League holders as a result, with Barcelona now his prefered destination.
Despite Barcelona's ongoing financial difficulties, signing Haaland in a season's time could become a lot more possible with player departures. Robert Lewandowski will be approaching 37-years-old and the twilight of his career, while player sales could help free up space and funds in the squad for the goalscoring machine's arrival.
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Mbappe's move to Real Madrid has caused Haaland to rethink (Image credit: Getty Images)
With the emerging talents of Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Gavi, Alejandro Balde and Pau Cubarsi, there's also reason for Haaland to get excited about the project occurring in Catalonia. Hansi Flick is also a reported admirer of Haaland, who has already scored 63 Premier League goals in just 66 games.
Barcelona will also return to Camp Nou in December 2024, which could entice the Norwegian striker to the club as they look to return back to the precipice of European football.
In FourFourTwo's opinion, while it might seem true that Haaland is unwilling to join Real Madrid, due to the plethora of talent they'll have in their ranks all vying for a spot in the starting XI, it doesn't seem likely that a Barcelona move will come to fruition. Sure, the Blaugrana are an attractive proposition regardless of what state they're in, but it seems impossible for them to afford his release clause - let alone the astronomical wages he will inevitably demand.
Lewandowski could make way for Haaland (Image credit: Getty Images)
Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future.
