Barcelona are in dire need of goalscorers. They’ve managed two in six Champions League games this season and 25 from 16 La Liga fixtures, underlining their lack of incision in the final third. Ansu Fati’s return from injury will help in this regard, but there’s an acceptance within the club that they’ll need to go to the market sooner rather than later.
Erling Haaland has emerged as Barcelona’s number one target this coming summer according to a report in Marca. Joan Laporta is said to be obsessed with landing the prolific Norwegian, who’s scored 14 goals in 12 games so far this season for Borussia Dortmund. Laporta met with Mino Raiola, his agent, in Turin today, so the lines of communication are open.
It’s thought that Haaland will be available for a fee in the region of €75m this summer as it’s said he has an informal release clause inserted in his contract with Dortmund that comes into effect in the summer of 2022. What’s important for Laporta if Barcelona are to acquire Haaland is that the commission fee Raiola charges in the deal is lowered.
Barcelona know that every elite club in Europe wants Haaland, but they hope that the fact he’ll be the leading man at Camp Nou could sway his decision. He could be the face of a new Barcelona, and shine brightly in La Liga. Whether this will convince him is unknown, but it appears to be undoubted that Laporta is single-minded in his ambition to bring the 21-year-old to Catalonia.
Laporta also said he woyld do anything possible to keep Messi and we all know how that turned out… credibility?
Laporta cam to Barcelona