Dortmund confirm talks with Haaland agent Raiola amid Barcelona sighting

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 19 May 2021 13:09 BST
• 2 min read

Borussia Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc has confirmed that he has spoken to Mino Raiola, the agent of striker Erling Haaland amid rumours that he could move to Barcelona this summer.

Haaland has been linked with virtually every big club around Europe this season, but fresh transfer speculation kicked off on Thursday as his agent and father were spotted in Spain for a meeting with Barcelona president Joan Laporta.

READ MORE: Erling Haaland to Barcelona? Five things the transfer could mean

Alf-Inge Haaland, a former professional with Manchester City and Leeds, and Raiola were seen being picked up from El Prat Airport by Laporta’s driver.

Sky Deutschland believe that the meeting lasted approximately two hours.

Meanwhile, it seems that Dortmund were aware of what was happening.

When questioned by Sky, BVB sporting director Zorc said: “I spoke to Raiola yesterday. We made our intentions clear.”

Reports in Germany suggest Dortmund’s asking price could be as steep as €180 million.

What do Zorc’s words mean?

The message from Dortmund is that the club are set to take a strong stance against losing Haaland in the summer.

Indeed, BVB have previously stated that they are well placed to fend off any approach for the 20-year-old Norway international striker in the coming transfer window.

READ MORE: How Barcelona could line up next season with Erling Haaland

Reinhard Raubal, Dortmund’s president, said: “We have great confidence in the people acting on behalf of the management. Even against the backdrop of the ongoing pandemic situation, no one has to worry about Borussia Dortmund’s existence.”

Even agent Raiola has hinted that a deal is not necessarily on the cards. Speaking to The Athletic, he said: “Sometimes the best interest of the player is not to move when everybody says he has to move.”

Haaland’s situation may, however, become more complicated if Dortmund fail to qualify for the Champions League next season.

There still remains the question of just how Barcelona intend to fund both a deal for Haaland and his wages, given that they are well known to be in financial strife. As such, Dortmund will not be resigned to losing their ace just yet.