Erling Haaland would reportedly prefer to join Barcelona over other potential suitors, should he leave Manchester City.
Haaland has emerged as one of world football’s finest talents since arriving at Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund in 2022, with the Norwegian having netted 99 goals in just 104 appearances across all competitions.
The 24-year-old broke the Premier League goal record for a single season in 2022/23 as the Citizens won a historic treble and has claimed back-to-back Golden Boots in English football.
Haaland remains happy in Manchester after winning a wealth of team and individual honours with Pep Guardiola’s side, though has spoken previously of his desire to take on different challenges in his career.
He is expected to sign a new deal with Manchester City, though the contract will contain a release clause to help facilitate a future exit if desired. Only a select few clubs in European football could afford or tempt Haaland, with Spanish outlet El Nacional revealing Barcelona would be the player’s preferred destination.
According to the report, Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain have ambitiously reached out to his representatives to gauge interest in a future move, though Spain – and particularly Barcelona – would be his chosen destination.
Haaland no longer interested in Real Madrid move
Real Madrid have held a long-standing interest in signing the forward, though Haaland is reportedly no longer interested in the transfer following the club’s capture of Kylian Mbappe from PSG last summer.
The source claims Haaland would not want to ‘share the spotlight’ with Mbappe at the Bernabeu.
Barcelona could enter the market for a centre-forward next summer as the Catalans seek a long-term replacement for Robert Lewandowski. However, a deal appears complicated for Barcelona to achieve financially and significant sales would be required.
