It will undoubtedly be the transfer saga of next summer.
Ahead of World Cup 2022 and the new 2022/23 season, the biggest surprise would be for Erling Haaland not to be moved on from his current employers, Borussia Dortmund.
His scoring record since signing for the Bundesliga giants has put him up alongside Paris Saint-Germain star, Kylian Mbappe, as the very best that European and world football has to offer.
To that end, there will be no shortage of suitors for his signature, particularly given that his buyout clause is expected to drop as low as €75m per Goal.com.
The outlet also suggest that it’s expected that, alongside Manchester United, rivals Manchester City, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Barcelona will all be interested in being the next port of call for the young Norwegian.
Given the Catalan club’s financial problems their interest would appear to be a non-starter, however, there is a scenario that has gone under the radar and which, potentially, gives Barcelona the edge over all of the other clubs reportedly interested.
It’s believed that president, Joan Laporta, has long held a cordial relationship with Haaland’s agent, Mino Raiola. Can the same be said of many other club presidents or chairmen?
Further, when Barca shocked the football world by not renewing Leo Messi in August, few really understood that Laporta could’ve actually been playing the long game.
If the Argentinian was still in situ, there was never a chance of the Catalans being able to afford Haaland.
Bidding him farewell meant that, down the line, funds should be available to put Barca in the box seat.
Haaland prefers La Liga as a playing destination, according to Gianluca di Marzio when talking to Wettfreunde.
With Mbappe expected to sign for Real Madrid, the ‘new Messi v Ronaldo’ battle will be played out over the coming seasons, thus elevating both clubs back to the pinnacle of world football, and bringing the focus back to the Spanish top-flight rather than the Premier League.
It’s good for barca to have goals scoring finished (Erling Haaland)