Erling Braut Haaland’s agent, Mino Raiola, held talks with Barcelona on Thursday and then flew to Spain’s capital for discussions with Real Madrid as the battle intensified to sign the Borussia Dortmund striker.
Raiola intends to speak with other clubs in the coming weeks. Manchester City and Chelsea are also leading contenders to buy Haaland and there is interest from Manchester United, but Bayern Munich are not in the race.
Dortmund have indicated they want at least €150m (£128m) for the 20-year-old this summer. Raiola had a meeting with them this week to discuss the asking price because a clause in the player’s contract that allows him to leave for €75m does not become valid until the summer of 2022. The Norwegian cost Dortmund €22.5m from RB Salzburg in December 2019.
Joan Laporta, Barcelona’s president, wants to bring Haaland to the Camp Nou as a statement signing after he was elected last month to the position for a second time. Striking a deal will not be straightforward but opening talks – also attended by Haaland’s father, Alf-Inge – were positive if inconclusive. Raiola and Haaland Sr then departed for Madrid on a private plane.
Haaland, who has 39 goals for club and country this season, is due to play for Dortmund at Manchester City in the Champions League on Tuesday. No swift resolution is expected regarding his future, with Raiola keen to speak to all interested parties about their proposals and projects before a decision is taken.
If a fee in the region of £128m can be agreed, it would make Haaland - who was born in Leeds during his father’s spell at Ellland Road – the third most expensive player in history behind Paris Saint-Germain duo Neymar and Kylian Mbappé.
