As one of the top young talents in world football, it’s no surprise to see Norwegian scoring machine, Erling Haaland, linked to Europe’s top clubs. As the standout striker in England over the last two seasons, he has become a top target for clubs looking to make a statement signing. One of these clubs is FC Barcelona, a team reborn under new manager Hansi Flick.
Since his move to Manchester in 2022, for a meagre £52 million, he has shown himself to be one of the best in world football. He took to the Premier League like a duck to water, breaking the scoring record in his first season in Manchester, and winning the treble the following campaign. He has maintained the same level to start his third campaign in England and doesn’t look like slowing down any time soon.
Manchester City will not be shocked to hear rumblings from Spain regarding their star boy. It’s almost a rite of passage for Premier League star attackers to make the move (Ronaldo, Bale, Hazard, Suarez, Henry). The allure of guaranteed European football, global attention and blissful weather pulls players to these clubs.
For Haaland
The appeal of Spanish football is not lost on anyone, especially not a player like Haaland. Since joining Man City back in 2022, he has been one of, if not the best player in the Premier League. A treble-winner, season goalscoring record-holder, and the source of many a sleepless night for defenders around the league. Yet history shows us that the path to greatness and importantly, the road to a Ballon d’Or, often goes through Spain, especially for players with little hope of international success. In the past 25 years, only eight Ballon d’Or winners have come from clubs other than Barcelona or Real Madrid. Even disregarding the two aliens who dominated the award for a decade and a half, the greatest player in the world more often than not plies his trade for one of these Spanish giants. And with three perennial candidates lacing up for Los Blancos in Vinicius, Mbappe and Bellingham, joining Barcelona and succeeding there may be what Haaland needs to distinguish himself as the best player on the planet.
But would it be a good fit? Is Haaland suited to the Barcelona style? Throughout his career, Haaland’s technical ability and link-up play has been a deficiency in his game, though perhaps an overstated one. Where someone like Lewandowski likes to drop deep and link up play, Haaland prefers to lurk ominously between the centre-halves, waiting for an opportunity to pounce. It’s important to recognise, however, that this isn’t the Barcelona of old and in the new Flick system, the attacking philosophy is one of quick progression of the ball, fluid movement, and as a result, space in behind to exploit. And no one does that more devastatingly than the big Norwegian. Barcelona have creative attacking talent to rival even City’s, and it’s hard to envisage a difficult integration, with the likes of Yamal, Pedri and Dani Olmo providing the service.
For Barca
The past few years at FC Barcelona have been tumultuous to say the least. The departure of their talisman, flop replacements, sky-high wage bills, a dilapidating Camp Nou, the list goes on. What was once the best team in the world has now spent the best part of a decade in the shadow of their Madrid counterparts, counting pennies and pulling levers, in an attempt to return to the pinnacle of European football where they belong.
But after a painful few years, the Catalan outfit looks to be a world-class side this season under Hansi Flick. They sit atop La Liga, headed by a potent front three, with a squad that finally has an identity. La Masia has reverted to form in recent years, producing potential superstars in Gavi, Pau Cubarsi, Marc Casado and of course, teen sensation Lamine Yamal. Add to that a Robert Lewandowski ageing like fine wine, a revived Raphinha and new star signing, Dani Olmo, and what is appearing in front of us is a team that looks well equipped to make a deep run in the Champions League, and pose real problems for a Real team struggling for cohesion. On the pitch, things are looking up.
Off the pitch, however, the wounds of the past decade are not fully sealed, and finances continue to be the club’s greatest concern. At the start of the season, like in many recent seasons, Barca struggled to get all players registered, with new signing Dani Olmo forced to sit out the first two games of the campaign. It was this registration struggle that forced them to back out of a deal to bring Nico Williams to Catalonia in the summer. To add to their woes, they are losing an estimated €150 million in revenue from the Camp Nou closure. Despite this, the club’s president, Joan Laporta has presented a rather optimistic outlook when talking about the club’s finances.
“The economic issue is much better than it was. The process has been to save the club and then recover it, and we are on the road to normality. Today we can face signings of the magnitude you are talking about because we have done the job.”
Indeed, the wage cap imposed by La Liga has increased considerably since the winter transfer market, from €204 million to €426 million. Additionally, the €1.7 billion Nike deal Barcelona have reached will serve as a boost to their immediate financial situation, albeit disregarding the future negative repercussions a 14-year deal will likely bring.
It’s clear that Barcelona will do everything in their power to improve their current financial position and bring a player of Haaland’s talent into the fold.
For City
City brought the Norwegian in from Dortmund back in 2022 for just over £50 million. After seeing his robotic goalscoring prowess in action for over two seasons, it seems insane that he would have gone for so little. The man has been making life for defenders in the English top flight miserable since his arrival, elevating an already unstoppable City team to new heights. But Haaland’s desire to compete in Spain is well-documented, and with his contract expiring in 2027, it seems logical that if he is set on a move, City would rather cash in before that time than lose him for nothing.
And recent rumours surrounding Barca’s interim captain, Raphinha, may hold the key to a Haaland move. Man City are one of a number of top clubs monitoring the Brazilian winger following his red-hot start to the season, with 13 goal involvements in his first 12 games in La Liga. If City are forced to ship Haaland off, bringing in a player of Raphinha’s quality could soften the blow. Whether Barcelona would be open to offloading such a talent remains to be seen.
It’s impossible to talk about City without mentioning the 115 charges hanging over their heads. The verdict of their long-running legal dispute will undoubtedly influence Haaland’s immediate future. If found guilty, any punishments they receive may impact their ability to retain stars. In the case of their No. 9, it seems more likely to impact the ‘when’, rather than the ‘if’.
Verdict
There are many factors at play which could make a deal between City and Barcelona difficult, not least the former’s financial position. A deal for next summer seems unlikely. For starters, Dani Olmo will once again be unregistered to play in La Liga in January, underlining the club’s continued struggle to balance the books. Moreover, there isn’t an urgent need for a centre forward, with their current man up top being the only player to outscore Haaland so far this season. But at 36, it’s hard to picture Lewandowski maintaining that form in the coming years, and though Barcelona look like the strongest team in Spain (and possibly Europe) this season, it seems inevitable that Real will eventually figure out the balance of their star-studded squad. Barca will also be aware that failure to secure Haaland’s services will likely result in him suiting up in white in the near future.
Haaland may well be the hottest property in world football right now, and all signs point to Spain for his next move. The Barcelona we’ve come to know in recent years will have a difficult task on their hands in making such a monumental move happen, but it’s a deal they will feel they have to get over the line before the end of his current contract. Club president Laporta, who in his last spell in office, laid the foundations for one of the greatest teams we’ve ever seen under Guardiola, will be looking at the Norwegian number 9 as a marquee signing in their journey back to the top of European football.