Erling Haaland Agent Suggests She Will Accept FC Barcelona Offer To Sign Manchester City Striker

Erling Haaland’s agent has implied that she would accept an offer from FC Barcelona to sign her star client.

The Norwegian joined current club Manchester City in the summer of 2022, after the PremierPINC
League champions triggered his £51mn ($63mn) release clause at Borussia Dortmund.

Though Barca could have afforded that fee, and paid more for the likes of Raphinha a few months later for example, the Norwegian’s monstrous wages and other commissions for his agent and ex-professional father Alfe-Inge made the potential deal unfeasible for the Catalans.

As Haaland heads into the business end of his first season in northwestern England on the cusp of smashing long-standing goalscoring records, his agent Rafaela Pimenta has given hope to Culers that the 22-year-old could one day don Blaugrana.

In an interview with AS where she said that her star client’s true value is €1bn ($1.09bn), the Brazilian lawyer who has taken over the business of superagent Mino Raiola – who died last year – pointed to a strong relationship with Barca president Joan Laporta and remarked that it is hard to turn down the smooth-talker.

“I always say that Laporta can’t ask me for anything in football, it’s not fair, because he knows I’m going to say yes,” Pimenta claimed.

Naturally, this part of a wide-ranging interview has been picked up on and turned into headlines by the Catalan media. And though it is encouraging, Barca fans should not get worked up about it.

Even though there is said to be a special release clause in Haaland’s contract that allows him to leave City for a club outside the Premier League as early as 2024, the amount payable is meant to be €200mn ($218mn) which Barca can in no way, shape or form afford – especially when it is reported that they have to shave that same sum from their wage bill to comply with La Liga rules next season.

Perhaps a more realistic prospect is if Haaland allows his five-year deal to wind down, making him available for a cut rate in 2026 or free in 2027 when he would still be around 26 or 27 years of age and presumably reaching his peak providing he can stay injury free.

Until then, Barca must focus on getting the best out of Robert Lewandowski in his twilight years, and perhaps landing someone in the mold of Vitor Roque who is currently lighting up the South American U20 championships for Brazil.