Manchester City star Erling Haaland is the final wish of Barcelona president Joan Laporta, who is desperate to sign the Norwegian before he leaves the Blaugrana for a second time.
The Catalan outfit have made a habit on stocking up with Manchester City stars ever since Pep Guardiola took the reins at the Etihad Stadium, signing the likes of Eric Garcia, Ferran Torres and Ilkay Gundogan. Bernardo Silva has long been linked with a Camp Nou move, while Joao Cancelo spent last season there on loan.
Haaland could well be seen as the jewel in the crown when it comes to Barcelona asking for favours from their former boss, Guardiola, however. With the Scandi striker having already purchased a house in Spain, too, talk is rife of an upcoming deal.
Barcelona want Manchester City star, Erling Haaland
Haaland has been linked with leaving City ever since joining the club, in part down to the friction between him and Pep Guardiola's playing style. Now, Spanish outlet Sport claims that the star, ranked as the best striker in the world right now by FourFourTwo – and the second-best player in the world full-stop, behind Vinicius Jr – is wanted by Barcelona in a huge deal that could occur next summer.
Barça president Joan Laporta is nearing the end of his current term as president, and unlike his trophy-laden first spell, this tenure has been disastrous. The Spaniard was unable to keep his promise to secure Lionel Messi signing a contract extension in 2021 and has since presided over an enduring malaise at the club, fraught with financial ruin and erratic on-field performances – so naturally, he wants to make a big statement in the transfer market.
Another Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo have previously stated Barça's intention to land Haaland as a replacement for Polish poacher Robert Lewandowski, who is still at Camp Nou at the age of 36. The club began talks with Haaland and then-agent, the late Mino Raiola, in April 2021 – and according to Mundo's report, was “excited” about joining Barcelona when he gave them the nod that he would join them in 2022.
Following the talks that occurred that April, the report stated that, Haaland agreed to remain at Dortmund for another year, after speaking with multiple Premier League sides over a move. “However, the Norwegian said ‘yes’ to Barça for the following season,” the report says.
“In fact, in March 2022, Xavi Hernandez travelled to Munich to meet with him in person and finish explaining the project,” the report continues. “The Scandinavian was very excited about the prospect of wearing the Barcelona shirt.’’
Of course, this never came to fruition. Haaland moved to Manchester City instead and won the Treble in his first season – though Sport have insisted since that Haaland would prioritise moving to Barcelona, should the opportunity come up.
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In FourFourTwo's opinion, there has been absolutely no chance of Haaland leaving Manchester City up until now – and Barcelona's financial problems make this an incredibly difficult deal to pull off. Hansi Flick's side only registered summer signing Dani Olmo after Andreas Christensen was able to be unregistered through injury, while a pursuit for Nico Williams was ultimately unsuccessful due to cost.
However, there is always a chance, given how Barça keep finding ways to spend excessive amounts of money under Laporta. Haaland might seem like an extreme long shot – but in FourFourTwo's opinion, the Catalan outfit have shown that logic simply doesn't apply when it comes to who they sign and for what price. And anyway, they might be able to get a good deal…
Does Erling Haaland have a release clause?
Yes, he does. Haaland can be purchased for £150 million, according to previous reports.
It's also been claimed that the £150m fee increases to £200m for English clubs. City simply wouldn't sell to another Premier League side – nor would Haaland want to leave – though any release clause is, of course, hearsay and unconfirmed officially.
A release clause might seem bad news for Barcelona but in FourFourTwo's view, it does at least provide them with a solid number to aim for when it comes to striking a deal for Haaland – rather than having to negotiate a fee that could fluctuate. Should they manage to convince the player to a move (again), they may be able to have the leverage to go to City and ask for a little off of that price.
It's FourFourTwo's understanding, however, that there's no indication that the Premier League champions actually want to sell their star striker. Why would they? And with the ongoing case into their alleged 115 Premier League rule breaks, it would be seen by some as a sign of weakness to let him go.
With Pep Guardiola's contract ending this summer, too, there's the possibility that one huge figure at the club could leave. City would likely not want to let another go, too – and should Guardiola depart, keeping someone as reliable as Haaland would be the best possible continuity plan for the next manager.
City have reportedly tried to tie Haaland down to a longer deal – but are yet to make a breakthrough.
