FC Barcelona Tell Haaland Entourage They Will Pay His Release Clause To Sign Dortmund Striker

FC Barcelona have told Erling Haaland’s entourage that they are willing to pay his €80mn ($88mn) release clause, according to reports, and are therefore not throwing in the towel in the fight to land the next generation superstar from Borussia Dortmund this summer.

Mired in around $1.5bn’s worth of debts, recent comments from president Joan Laporta and his vice president Rafa Yuste seemed to indicate that Barca had given up chase to the likes of bitter rivals Real Madrid and Manchester City for the 21-year-old’s capture.

“Mateu Alemany, Jordi Cruyff and the staff are working on [signings],” Laporta said via Esport3 well over a fortnight ago. “I understand the fans are excited, but there are operations that are very difficult.

“Even if our financial situation is the best it could possibly be, there are some deals that we would still not do for the sake of the club. We won’t do any deals that place the club’s [future] at risk,” the club’s leader then concluded.

On Friday, Yuste described Barca’s pursuit of Haaland as “almost” finished and then reiterated Laporta’s stance.

“We have found ourselves in a terrible economic situation that has prevented us from meeting our expectations. As the president said, we have to protect our entity and for that we cannot carry out operations of this magnitude of money,” Yuste pointed out on Saturday.

Yet according to transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano, the Catalans have informed Haaland’s camp that they are willing to pay both his release clause and salary, despite being aware that their offer isn’t the best compared to those of other parties.

Barca are instead banking on Haaland being interested in their project under first team coach Xavi Hernandez, with Sunday’s 4-0 demolition of Real Madrid in El Clasico indicating that it would be wise for the Norwegian to consider signing for the Blaugrana.

Romano has said that money isn’t of primary importance to Haaland, who views being under the command of a coach who can make him grow as a player, the quality of life in the city and the club’s facilities, plus the continuity of management and having a tactical plan for the next three or four years as vital.

Though they might not boast great riches at this moment in time, Barca, as Mundo Deportivo say, are able to fulfill these elements at both an institutional and sporting level with Laporta and Xavi at the wheel – which puts them in good stead for what is set to be one of modern football’s biggest transfer sagas over the coming weeks and months.