Blow for Barcelona: ‘There haven’t been negotiations with Haaland’, says Laporta
There had been various reports over the past week linking Erling Haaland to Barcelona, with it claimed that Barça president Joan Laporta met with the player’s agent in Monaco and that coach Xavi even visited the striker himself in Munich.
That had Barcelona fans dreaming of the Norwegian striker signing for their club, but Laporta has brought those supporters back down to earth with comments made on Saturday night.
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Speaking after attending a fan club event in Elche, where Barcelona have a LaLiga Santander match on Sunday, Laporta told Spanish radio stations Cadena COPE and Cadena SER that: “At Barcelona, we’re not in negotiations with the player. When it’s time to negotiate we will do that with Borussia Dortmund, if that scenario comes up.”
While it’s possible that Laporta is simply looking to cover his tracks and to avoid angering Borussia Dortmund, that statement comes as a blow to Barcelona fans who believed negotiations were already in full swing and with the German club’s permission.
Laporta: "I deny that there has been any negotiations for Haaland."
Was there a meeting with the player and Xavi?
Laporta: "That does not concern me." pic.twitter.com/IEqt5Uf9Ai
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) March 5, 2022
Laporta is planning a busy summer
Haaland does remain a key transfer target for Laporta and his Barcelona board, as they look to counter Real Madrid’s probable acquisition of Kylian Mbappé – and to prevent a nightmare scenario of Real Madrid signing both the French and Norwegian forwards.
Other areas of Barça’s squad should be strengthened too, such as centre-back, where they hope to bring in one or both of Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta on a free transfer. For midfield, Franck Kessie is an option as well.
Pointing to these other operations, Laporta finished his talk with the Spanish radio stations by sending a message of optimism. He said: “We’re working on signing many players who can improve our squad for next season and we’re working on this with the coach, his staff and the director of football. But, we’re not negotiating with players directly.”
