Barcelona president Joan Laporta has stated that he will not risk putting the club’s finances in jeopardy in order to sign Norway international Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund. Barcelona is one of the leading contenders to sign the striker, but they will face competition from Manchester City and Real Madrid. Barca, on the other hand, is still suffering from a financial crisis that forced club hero Lionel Messi to leave last year.
Despite the fact that their situation is improving, Laporta is wary of spending a lot of money on new players. On Sunday, Laporta told TV3 on the club’s chances of signing the Norway international:
“We’re working on the future of the squad. Both [director of football] Mateu Alemany and [advisor] Jordi Cruyff are also looking for a certain rationality.
“We are here to manage a football club well. We are in a period that, although we are improving economically, it has not yet been solved.
“The economic situation has not been reversed and that is the priority.
“It is clear that we want an increasingly powerful team. We will go all out, but we will not do any operation that puts the institution at risk.”
Manchester City has emerged as the favourites to sign the 21-year-old, according to reports this week. Haaland’s contract has a rumoured £63 million ($82 million) release clause that can be exercised at the end of the season. According to the Daily Mail, City will spend roughly £100 million ($130 million) on the attacker in all, including the release clause and agency fees for Mino Raiola. The Premier League club is understood to have discussed personal terms with Haaland and is optimistic that a deal can be reached. According to the New York Times, City sports director Txiki Begiristain and chief of football operations Omar Berrada met with Dortmund star Christian Pulisic’s representatives in Monaco to discuss a transfer.