Why Barcelona are unlikely to compete with Real Madrid for Erling Haaland

Barcelona are unlikely to be able to challenge Real Madrid for the signing of Manchester City striker Erling Haaland at any point over the next few years, understands.

Haaland has been linked with an exit by the Spanish press in recent weeks, though his contract at City runs until 2027 and the club are already preparing an offer of fresh terms.

While the media in Madrid have billed City's upcoming Champions League quarter-final with Los Blancos as a potential audition and shot at vindication for Haaland, reports from Catalonia have claimed the 23-year-old will be the subject of a fresh approach from Barcelona in 2025.

However, understands the finances behind such a deal make this unlikely, while even if Barca were able to stump up the requisite money, they would almost certainly lose out to Madrid if they made a move for Haaland as well.

If Haaland were to leave City at some point, it's understood his preferred destination would be Madrid. In addition to the club's sheer size and reputation, the striker also recognises they are a stable team in the long-term, with Kylian Mbappe expected to join a youthful core already featuring the likes of Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni this summer.

The Norwegian’s current complex contract with City already includes various release clauses and options, meaning his value is not necessarily preserved by the length of it. A £150m release clause was due to become active in the summer of 2024, but this was linked to Pep Guardiola's future and subsequently voided when the manager penned a new deal running to 2025 in November 2022.

Haaland's agent, Rafaela Pimenta, has made no secret of her desire to ensure the forward has as much control of