La Liga Expert Explains How Barcelona Can Afford to Sign Haaland

Erling Haaland

Getty Haaland celebrates scoring for Dortmund.

Barcelona continue to be one of a host of clubs linked with a summer move for Borussia Dortmund’s prolific striker Erling Haaland despite the Catalan giants’ ongoing financial problems.

La Liga expert Guillem Balague has taken time out to explain just how Barca could afford to land one of Europe’s most-wanted players and admits it will be “complicated” but definitely not “impossible.”

“Barcelona need to get rid of big wages and big players, but it’s possible and they’re confident they can do it,” Balague told BBC Sport. “How do they get Haaland? They get rid of a bunch of players and Philippe Coutinho, Samuel Umtiti, Sergino Dest, Clement Lenglet, Frenkie de Jong, Martin Braithwaite, Oscar Mingueza, Luuk de Jong are for sale and then they’re able to bring in someone. It’s complicated, but not impossible.”

Barcelona have spent big again in the January transfer window by splashing out €55 million on Ferran Torres. However, the Catalans have not been able to register the forward yet and need to make room on the wage bill first.

One way of doing that is by offloading players, and Barca have already confirmed one winter departure. Philippe Coutinho has moved on loan to Aston Villa for the rest of the 2021-22 season.

The deal includes a purchase option that allows Villa to purchase Coutinho permanently for €40 million, as reported by Diario Sport’s Toni Juanmarti. The Premier League side will pay 65% of Coutinho’s wages, according to journalist Gerard Romero.

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Haaland Prefers La Liga to the Premier League

Haaland is also wanted by other top clubs around Europe, with Premier League champions Manchester City having made the striker their top priority for the summer transfer window, acording to Marca.

The Dortmund star has told fans he plans to play in Spain next, and Balague believes the 21-year-old would rather head to La Liga than move to the Premier League.

“He would get more money in the Premier League but he prefers Spain. The lure of Real Madrid and Barcelona is still powerful,” he added. “The relationship between [Haaland’s agent] Mino Raiola and Laporta is very close. If the money is there they [Barcelona] would be considered and in exchange, Laporta would sign some of Raiola’s young players.”


Haaland ‘Would Love’ To Go to Barcelona

Balague also thinks that Haaland could easily be tempted by a move to the Camp Nou but warned that his powerful agent, Mino Raiola, will play a big role in the striker’s next destination.

“If Barcelona do manage to get that money, Haaland would love to go to Barcelona. But that is what Raiola is telling Laporta,” he said. “I very much doubt he has stopped talking to other clubs, including Juventus, Paris St-Germain or Premier League ones.”

There’s no doubt Haaland will be in-demand if he does decide to move on from Dortmund in the summer. The Norwegian is one of Europe’s deadliest young strikers and has already netted 19 goals in just 16 appearances in all competitions this season.

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