Barcelona pull out of Haaland transfer to pursue Lewandowski
Gianluigi Longari
- Updated: 23 May 2023 08:55 CDT
- 3 min read
Barcelona have ended negotiations to sign Erling Haaland after the Borussia Dortmund player’s camp requested a contract lasting only two years, FootballTransfers understands.
Haaland is set to leave Dortmund at the end of the season when a €75 million release clause is activated in his contract.
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Virtually every top club in Europe is interested in signing the 21-year-old, but the three main clubs leading the chase for his signature have been Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester City.
READ MORE: How Barcelona could line up with Lewandowski
Barcelona have dominated the headlines over the past week or so, with Haaland reported to have met Blaugrana coach Xavi in Munich a fortnight ago.
Last week the Catalan press even claimed that a deal had been agreed, with Barca paying the €75m release clause, a €40m commission to agent Mino Raiola and father Alf-Inge Haaland, as well as a five-year contract worth €195m over that period.
However, in recent days it has been reported that Barcelona would not be able to afford such an operation and were dropping their interest. President Joan Laporta even hinted at this last weekend, saying that he couldn’t buy players who would put the economic future of the club at risk.
Raiola wanted two-year contract for Haaland
But FootballTransfers understands that the chief reason why Barcelona have ended negotiations for Haaland is because Raiola and the striker’s camp were requesting a two-year contract.
This would have meant that Haaland’s deal at Camp Nou would have expired in 2024, and this was deemed unacceptable by Barcelona given that his transfer fee alone would be €75m.
Haaland’s entourage want a short contract in order to give him more freedom of movement in the future – an arrangement that is expected to become more and more common in football going forward.
Barcelona turn to Lewandowski
It is understood that Barcelona have instead turned their attentions to Robert Lewandowski as a possible alternative to Haaland.
Barca are currently making approaches to understand whether a summer deal is possible for the Bayern Munich hitman.
Lewandowski’s contract in Bavaria expires in 2023 and so far there has been little progress over a new contract.
If the Pole does not pen a new deal, Bayern could look to cash in on him so he doesn’t leave on a Bosman next year. Manchester United have also been linked.
