Real Madrid step up Haaland pursuit after Clasico embarrassment
Martin Macdonald
- 23 Mar 2022 11:59 GMT
- 3 min read
Real Madrid have stepped up their attempts to sign Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland this summer.
Los Blancos are one of a number of clubs linked with the prolific Norwegian, with Barcelona, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain also involved in the transfer conversation at one time over the last 12 months.
Haaland has emerged as one of the most devastating finishers in world football through his time with RB Salzburg and now Dortmund.
In the 2021/22 campaign alone he has 23 goals in 19 starts. The best season of his career so far came last year when he scored an outrageous 41 goals in 40 starts in all competitions for BVB.
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It is believed that Haaland has a release clause in his current contract that would allow him to leave for €75 million.
Spanish outlet AS reports that Man City and Real Madrid are leading the race for his signature.
Things have been complicated slightly for Madrid as their number one target for the summer remains Erling Haaland, but president Florentino Perez is keen for that duo to headline a new Galactico side for the next few years.
Why are Madrid now desperate for Haaland?
One of the reasons that the La Liga leaders have intensified their pursuit of Haaland is due to their awful performance in the Clasico at the weekend.
Madrid suffered one of their worst home defeats in the history of the fixture, losing 4-0 to Barcelona at Santiago Bernabeu.
Barca have been in turmoil both on and off the pitch this season, but eventually turned a corner under new head coach Xavi, and in the Clasico they comprehensively outplayed Madrid in every aspect, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scoring two and Ferran Torres and Ronald Araujo also getting on the scoresheet.
Key to Madrid's lack of firepower was the absence of star man Karim Benzema, who missed the fixture due to injury.
The Frenchman is in the form of his life, with 32 goals and 12 assists in 2021/22.
His absence forced Carlo Ancelotti into a decision as to who would play up front - Mariano Diaz or Luka Jovic. In the end he selected neither, with Luka Modric asked to play a more advanced role through the middle with Vinicius Junior in support.
Ancelotti clearly does not trust Mariano or Jovic, which highlighted the need for striker reinforcements in the summer.
According to AS, the general feeling around the club is that Benzema, due to his age, will pick up these types of injuries more and more and that a world-class striker is needed in the forward roster.
Haaland would, of course, be number one choice should he arrive, but Benzema would stay around for a year before eventually moving on in 2023.
