Barcelona plot SENSATIONAL Haaland swoop
Tom Weber
- Updated: 12 Sept 2023 16:32 BST
- 3 min read
Barcelona are positioning themselves to be able to give signing Erling Haaland a go, according to a report.
The Norwegian goalscoring machine only arrived at Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund last year, but he has already won most of the major trophies there are to win at club level, all while breaking every conceivable goalscoring record along the way.
Given his quickfire ascent to the top, there have been and continue to be rumours about his future - after all, life at Man City seems almost too comfortable for the 23-year-old.
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Real Madrid attempted to sign him last year and their interest has never dissipated. In light of this, Los Blancos have been touted as his most likely destination should he ever get bored of shooting the Premier League to pieces.
But now a report claims that Real's great rivals Barcelona are also keen on signing Haaland.
Barcelona want to try
According to 90min, "Barcelona are manoeuvring themselves to be a contender in the battle for Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland." They see the Norwegian as the ideal long-term successor to veteran forward Robert Lewandowski, the report claims.
The 23-year-old won't be on the market in 2024 because his €200 million release clause for that summer expired when Pep Guardiola extended his Manchester City stay. Instead, Barcelona are plotting a swoop for 2025 when Haaland's new set of clauses will come into effect, starting with a €175m release clause.
READ: Barcelona to complete DOUBLE transfer thanks to 'pro-Barca' clauses
The report goes on to say that Barcelona believe that having two years to sort out their finances is enough time to prepare an attractive offer to the Norwegian.
Moreover, as the years pass, Haaland's release clause will decrease even further, meaning that Barcelona could gamble and try to play the long game, permitting that Real Madrid - or some other club - don't snap him up before then.
