Reports | Barcelona join race to sign Erling Haaland
Haaland could join Barcelona in the summer
|According to ESPN, Barcelona will attempt to tempt the Norwegian to join Barcelona in the summer, when his reported release clause of €75 million is set to activate. The Norwegian will be the target of several top European clubs as he looks to move on to greener pastures from Germany.
Erling Haaland established himself as one of the hottest prospects in European football during his time at RB Salzburg. The Norwegian had several notable displays including a Champions League hattrick on his debut in the competition which attracted the attention of several clubs around the continent. Despite being a reported target of Manchester United and Juventus, Borussia Dortmund landed the signature of the 21-year-old just a few days before the winter transfer window opened in 2020.
Haaland has continued his scoring form for the German giants as he has scored 68 goals and provided 19 assists in 67 appearances across all competitions. The Norwegian international was also pivotal for Dortmund as they claimed DFB-Pokal glory last campaign as he scored a brace against RB Leipzig in the finals of the competition. Haaland's exploits at Dortmund have attracted the attention of several top clubs in Europe with Manchester United, Juventus, Real Madrid, Manchester City, and Paris Saint-Germain considered to be the front runners for the Norwegians' signature. Interest from most European clubs stems from the fact that the Norwegian's current deal has a reported release clause of €75 million which is set to activate next summer.
According to reports from ESPN, Barcelona has joined the race to secure the Norwegian's signature after losing several of their attackers such as Antonie Griezmann and Lionel Messi. Despite the Catalan club's financial woes, they believe that a deal is feasible. It is understood that Mino Raiola travelled to the Camp Nou last year for discussions regarding the 21-year-old alongside several other meetings with other European clubs. It is reported that the Spanish giants have €20 million to use to recruit new players in January but they may put off spending that amount until the summer to sign Haaland. The main stumbling block towards completing a deal is the player's wage demands as Raiola is expected to ask for €20m-a-year for Haaland. This is a demand that could see Barcelona struggle to fulfill as they would have to let some of their key players depart to make way for Haaland.
