Summer Bombshell? Barcelona Defines Its Roadmap to Pursue Haaland

FC Barcelona has real options to pursue the signing of Erling Haaland next summer. Although it is a very complex operation due to the extremely high salary of the Norwegian forward, there are two key factors that allow the club's management to dream about the '9'. On one hand, the return of Barça to the 1:1 rule allows the club to reinvest all its earnings related to sales and/or loans into new reinforcements.

A couple of high-profile transfers would give the Catalans enough money to bid for the 'Cyborg', although the salary issue (the forward earns 23.2 million euros gross per year) will not be easy to resolve. Additionally, there is another aspect that excites not only Barça but several giants in Europe regarding the possible exit of the Leeds player from Manchester City next summer.

The '9' reserved a clause in his contract that will allow him to leave for an affordable price (less than 100 'kilos') if the club does not qualify for the next edition of the UEFA Champions League, something that is currently happening. The team managed by Pep Guardiola started the second half of the Premier League in sixth place, which would force them to play in the Europa League in the 2025-26 season. 

Barça's accounts to go for Erling Haaland this year

This scenario would allow Barça to enter fully into the 'race' for Erling, considering that the players marked for departure next summer can easily leave between 120 and 130 million in cash. Barça could let go of Ronald Araujo (around €70M), Frenkie de Jong (around €25M), Andreas Christensen (around €15M) and Ferran Torres (at least €20M), which would give them more than enough money to start negotiating with the Norwegian.

With regard to financial 'Fair Play', the mere fact of being able to get rid of De Jong (the Dutchman earns 19 million net per year) would practically solve the club's problems with its salary cap. Hence the importance of resolving the pending issues as soon as possible after the end of the 2024-25 season, including renewals. In addition to a goalscorer, Barça also plans to sign a left-footed winger and a left-back, as well as a defensive midfielder (pivot).

Haaland is starting to tire of Manchester City

Although Pep Guardiola recently acknowledged that the forward "is incredibly focused" and ready to regain his best form in 2025, the truth is that Erling seems mentally and physically exhausted. This is reflected in his numbers over the last two months of the season, where he 'only' scored 6 goals in 10 Premier League matches. Recently, the '9' changed his residence, moving away from the center of Manchester to settle in Cheshire, a much quieter locality.

The information leaked by the 'Daily Mail' aligns with Haaland's preference for country life, as the player himself has admitted that, after his retirement, he would like to buy his own farm. This Saturday, Guardiola gave him a rest in the third-round FA Cup match against Salford (8-0). The 'sky blue' team has three consecutive victories, following a forgettable end to 2024. In the Premier, the team is now just two points away from the Champions League zone, a key point to convince the Norwegian to stay.