He’s one of the brightest young prospects in the world, and the idea of signing Erling Haaland to be a figurehead in the Xavi revolution will have Barcelona fans drooling.
However, what are the chances of signing Haaland? Will we see him at Camp Nou any time soon?
The bookmakers can’t call it, and there’s a three-horse race to sign the young Norwegian along with Manchester City and Real Madrid. Still, the smart money is staked on Haaland going to Barcelona might just be the case. If you find a bookmaker such as one of these sportsbooks offering a generous deposit bonus, then this could be an interesting gambling market for the summer.
The competition
As with so many young players who become such huge global stars at a young age, only a few clubs seem to be viable options. For Haaland, if he were to move, he would indeed be looking to get a club with European football virtually guaranteed and play in one of the world’s biggest and best competitions?
Man City could provide him with an alternative transfer location. It seems that Pep is a big admirer, and the main criticism of their team is the lack of a true goalscoring number nine.
Man United, one of the only clubs that could afford to make a move, seems low on the list of clubs Haaland would actually want to join, as his family has some history with the club.
That leaves Real Madrid, who could make a move for the striker to partner Mbappe, a striker who seems like he will definitely be a Madrid player by the end of the summer transfer window.
Xavi meets with Haaland?
There have been recent rumours that Xavi has met with Haaland and his representatives. If he has, the chances are that he is trying to sell this as a long-term project to Erling and convince him that he can be at the forefront of a decade of Barcelona domination. If they were to sign the hitman, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him score hundreds of goals in a Barcelona shirt, especially if he can stay clear of the injuries plaguing him this season.
One thing seems certain; Barcelona wants to sign Erling Haaland; it all boils down to whether he will decide to join and be a part of the plan to turn the club into a European force again.
The finances
Barcelona is doing some really savvy business and has been linked with some free transfers and Bosman players for the summer. If these moves go through, it could mean that the rest of the summer’s transfer budget is reserved for one statement signing…
Haaland won’t be cheap, but actually, compared to a lot of the targets on the market, his rumoured €75 million release clause is relatively reasonable. It will have some European giants on alert.
