Barcelona are determined to sign Man City goal machine Erling Haaland
Barcelona have reportedly drawn up a long-term plan to sign Manchester City goal machine Erling Haaland despite their ongoing financial issues.
With Kylian Mbappe looking set to join Real Madrid, the Catalans want a new big-name player to start up another Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo-like rivalry in LaLiga.
Haaland is undoubtedly one of the best strikers in the world and ironically, Real Madrid have been linked with a move for him in recent weeks.
The Norwegian international netted a record-breaking 36 goals in his first Premier League season – helping Pep Guardiola’s side to lift a historic treble in the process.
The 23-year-old has shown no signs of slowing down this term, scoring 18 in 23 Premier League matches so far.
Man City want to keep hold of Haaland for as long as possible, but recent rumours have suggested that he likes the idea of playing in Spain in the future.
Now, according to Spanish outlet Diario Sport, Barcelona president Joan Laporta has made signing Haaland his top pledge as he seeks re-election.
Barcelona president makes signing Haaland a ‘priority’
The report claims that Barcelona have ‘firmly set their sights on signing Haaland‘ and have drawn up a ‘long-term strategy’ to bring him in.
Barcelona are aiming to sign the centre-forward in the 2026/27 campaign – and that was ‘made clear’ to his agent, Rafaela Pimenta, during a recent meeting with the LaLiga giant’s sporting director Deco.
Laporta has also made Haaland a ‘priority signing’ for 2026, which is when he will run for re-election as Barcelona’s president.
He is ‘confident’ that the club’s situation will have ‘returned to financial stability’ which will allow them to make ‘superstar additions’ once again.
Diaro Sport state that Haaland’s contract with Man City includes a release clause set at €175m (approx. £150m). Pep Guardiola is keen to tie him down to a new deal but talks are currently at a standstill.
Barcelona are now planning to ‘stun the football world’ in signalling their return to the world stage by smashing their transfer record to bring in the Cityzen’s top talisman.
Haaland could be the ideal long-term replacement for Robert Lewandowksi, who is past his best at the age of 35 but still managed to score 33 goals last season.
Haaland vs Mbappe in the El Classico is certainly a mouth-watering prospect, so it will be interesting to see how this story develops over the next few years.
