Barcelona manager Xavi has sent a confident message over the potential transfer of Borussia Dortmund goal machine Erling Haaland.
The prolific Norway international is likely to be one of the most in-demand names in the transfer market this summer after his sensational form since signing for Dortmund in December 2019.
Haaland has managed a total of 80 goals in 79 games for the Bundesliga giants, and it seems clear he’s set for a great career at the highest level.
The latest on Haaland’s future comes from the Sun, who quote a bullish-sounding Barca boss Xavi as making it clear he doesn’t think a big name like Haaland would be able to turn down an offer to move to the Nou Camp.
“I haven’t seen a player yet who doesn’t want to sign for Barca. Everyone is excited to come to Barca,” Xavi said.
“Then it depends on clauses and more, but no one is turning down Barca.”
However, the 21-year-old has also been strongly linked with Manchester City recently by Todo Fichajes and others, and they probably look the more tempting destination right now.
City are a dominant force in England and it’s also surely only a matter of time before they finally get their hands on the Champions League as well.
With an elite finisher like Haaland coming in to finish off all the chances created by Pep Guardiola’s stylish attacking team, City would surely be close to unbeatable for years to come.
Barcelona, by contrast, look like a bit of a faded force, even if Xavi is doing an impressive job since taking over as manager.
It will be interesting to see if the 42-year-old can get the Catalan giants back to their best, but for the time being it’s hard to imagine someone like Haaland being patient enough to wait for this long-term project to bear fruit.