Haaland hints at Real Madrid preference over Barca with Instagram post

FT Desk
FT Desk
  • 12 Feb 2022 09:38 GMT
  • 7 min read
Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland is wanted by Europe's top clubs
© ProShots

One of the biggest stories across the entirety of football this season has been the speculation surrounding Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland and where he’ll be playing his football next season.

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The Norway international has been linked with moves to Manchester City, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain, but the most consistent rumours have continued to suggest that Barcelona and Real Madrid lead the way in the race to bag his signature in the summer.

Indeed, Haaland has reportedly prioritised a move to Spain when he does eventually leave Dortmund but to date there has been next to no hints from the player or his agent, Mino Raiola, about his next move.

However, a report from Germany has now suggested that the player has hinted at his next move through a post on social media.

Haaland hints at next move on Instagram

According to German sports magazine Kicker, Haaland’s next move could have already been decided because of which kit maker he has chosen to join through private sponsorship deals.

The striker was recently sponsored by Nike, but that deal came to an end late last year. And since then German kit makers Puma have been trying to convince Haaland to sign up with them.

According to the German publication, Puma boss Björn Gulden is Norwegian like Haaland and is considered a good acquaintance of the family. However, according to the player’s social media activity a few weeks ago, it seems as though the striker has already opted for a move to Adidas.

Indeed, Kicker also noted that Haaland recently posted an Instagram story of him wearing an Adidas shirt. Which may have been rather innocuous if not for the fact that his Instagram account was exclusively plastered in Nike and Puma gear up until very recently.

So what does this have to do with where Haaland will play his football in the future? According to Bild, Haaland had a meeting with Adidas boss Kasper Roersted and board member Brian Grevy at the sportswear manufacturer's headquarters in Herzogenaurach this week in order to sign a deal with the kit maker and to suggest he should make the move to Real Madrid, who have famously wore Adidas kits for some time now.

As such, Haaland agreeing to join Adidas would go some way to suggesting he’ll also make the move to Madrid - one of Adidas’ biggest clients - instead of PSG or Barca, who have been in partnership with Nike for some time.

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