Despite the financial issues plaguing the club, Barcelona are involved in the race to sign Erling Haaland along with Manchester City and Real Madrid. Club president Joan Laporta views his signing as a priority, and manager Xavi Hernandez has also asked the club to push for his signature.
The latest news emerging out of France and Spain promises quite the shock to football fans. FC Barcelona have apparently held several discussions with Kylian Mbappe’s, whose current contract with Paris Saint-Germain runs out in June.
The Frenchman has been heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid. Mbappe grew up as a Los Blancos fan, and he previously pushed for a desperate move to Santiago Bernabeu last summer. However, PSG were stern and refused to leave Mbappe leave at any cost.
In a latest twist of circumstances, the World Cup winner is reportedly open to hold talks with Barcelona and hasn’t discarded the option.
It is believed that the 23-year-old hasn’t made a decision yet and is still evaluating his options. He also wants to choose a proper sporting project which will result in successes on the pitch rather than look for his own financial gains. PSG, backed by the state of Qatar, are currently ready to offer him 1 million euros to extend his stay at the Parc des Princes.
French media outlet L’Equipe believe that Mbappe will turn out to be cheaper than the 300-million-euro values that are being projected for Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland.
Although Haaland, who is expected to be the primary rival of Mbappe in the generation succeeding Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, has a release clause of 75 million euros, the deal is expected to be inflated considering hefty commission fees to the tune of 40 million will be paid to his agent Mino Raiola as well as his father and former footballer Alf-Inge Haaland.
The Catalan club reported a debt of over 1.2 billion euros last summer, and hefty wage restrictions forced them to part ways with Messi as they couldn’t afford to keep him. However, the situation is getting better with Laporta’s team offloading attackers Antoine Griezmann and Philippe Coutinho and securing a 500 million loan from Goldman Sachs as well as a hefty sponsorship with Spotify.
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Xavi, who has recovered Barcelona’s sporting integrity and image on the pitch, has urged the club to make every effort to sign him as he believes that Haaland is a “priority objective in his project”, reports Marca.
Although the Catalans still cannot compete with the financial might of Real Madrid and Manchester City despite the recent cash injections, the club is hopeful about convincing him with their project. The recent 0-4 drubbing of Real at the hands of Xavi’s Barcelona is likely to help make Haaland’s mind.
The Barca manager is expected to insist on the need to sign him in an upcoming meeting with the club’s sporting department which will be led by Laporta. The meeting is expected to take place in the next few days and most likely before club football returns following the international break. Barcelona will battle second-placed Sevilla in La Liga on April 3.
Spanish daily AS suggests that Xavi will try to “give this operation a boost.” The release clause in Haaland’s contract with Borussia suggests that the Norwegian forward needs to decide on his future by April 30.
Xavi is also “willing to offer himself again to talk to the player and try to convince him of the whims of the Blaugrana project” of which Haaland would be a “great cornerstone”.
