Haaland dreams of LaLiga: Will he join Barcelona or Real Madrid?

Tom Weber

Updated: 19 Oct 2024 12:03 BST
4 min read

Joan Laporta, Erling Haaland, Carlo Ancelotti — © IMAGO

Erling Haaland dreams of moving to Spain at some point in his career, but a transfer is not realistic next summer, according to a report.

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Now in his third season at Man City, the Norwegian sharpshooter has already won everything there is to win. Haaland continues to score at a ridiculous rate, having netted 10 goals in seven Premier League appearances so far, and is showing no signs of slowing down.

Despite Haaland's amazing success at Man City - or perhaps because of it - it seems to be a foregone conclusion that he will not stay in Manchester for the rest of his career.

Indeed, ever since signing for the Premier League champions, speculation about his next move has been rampant, with both Barcelona and Real Madrid the clubs most frequently associated with him.

But what is behind those links and is there actually a realistic chance of either club signing him?

Haaland to leave Man City: The state of play

Sky Germany has now provided a major update on the future of the former Borussia Dortmund striker. The German outlet can confirm reports from Spain that Haaland is the 'dream target' of Barcelona president Joan Laporta.

However, unlike some sources in Spain, reporters Florian Plettenberg and Patrick Berger played down suggestions that Laporta is already actively working on a deal with Haaland's agent Rafaela Pimenta despite the excellent relationship between the two.

Given Barcelona's financial situation, a move in the summer of 2025 is simply not possible, also because star striker Robert Lewandowski will have his contract automatically extended until 2027 if he plays 50 per cent of games this season, which is expected to transpire.

Berger states that Haaland is quite fond of Spain, having spent a lot of time there with his family already as a child. The Haaland family owns a home in Marbella and the striker plans to eventually play in LaLiga.

Real Madrid are a more realistic destination as things stand, but their chances of a 2025 move have also been played down. Haaland is known to have a release clause in his contract that will decrease season by season, so Man City are desperate to get him to agree to a new deal.

It is unclear whether the Norwegian is open to extending his stay at the Etihad, but what is clear is that, as of right now, he is not planning to move to Spain next summer.