Real Madrid have for a long time been regarded as Erling Haaland's best suitors but now their arch-rivals Barcelona are preparing to make their own move for the star player. The move is largely informed by the fact that the Catalan giants are convinced that Kylian Mbappe will sign for Real Madrid next season and thus Barcelona need to retaliate by having in their ranks a player of his caliber if they are to continue competing for trophies and titles with the Los Blancos. Barcelona currently have Robert Lewandowski leading their firing squad at the frontline but they are looking for his longtime replacement and Haaland is reportedly the man they have settled for. 

Haaland has been outstanding for both his current club Manchester City and his former club Borussia Dortmund. His debut season at City saw him help the club to lift a treble after they won the UEFA Champions League, the English Premier League, and the FA Cup titles. Haaland also won the Premier League Golden Boot and the European Golden Shoe as the 23-year-old scored 52 goals in all competitions with 36 of them being an EPL record. Haaland is only a year in the Premier League but it is reported that Manchester City are already working on a new contract to further reward their star striker. The Norwegian superstar signed a five-year contract when he arrived at the EPL title holders but included numerous release clauses within it. One of those clauses, however, was nullified when City boss Pep Guardiola signed his contract extension, which meant no clause in 2024, which would have allowed Haaland to leave next year for £172m (€200m). The clause, however, is due to be activated in 2025.

The fact that the Norwegian striker could leave for a fixed price in 2025 is one of the reasons why the La Liga title holders Barcelona are starting to position themselves as a potential landing spot for the striker. The club has been facing financial turbulence in the recent past but have battled really hard to get their footing correct and if Haaland is to leave Manchester City in 2025, the Catalan giants have the ability and advantage to plan two years ahead. Manchester City, however, are working hard to convince Haaland and his agents to remove the release clauses on the horizon and are ready to make him the Premier League's highest-paid player if that will be the case. As things stand right now, there is little motivation to do away with the release clause from Haaland's side.

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Rafaela Pimenta, who is Haaland's agent had this to say some time last year when the striker had just signed his Manchester City contract: "When a player goes to a club, I do all I can to create a situation where the key is in their hands. If tomorrow, you don’t want to be there anymore because you don't like it, or if they don't pay you well, or if your wife wants to live in Paris, well, you go, no? I don't like it when the player has no freedom to decide. I have done all the contracts in this agency for 25 years. All of them. There wasn't a single time when a player said 'I want to go' and they could not do it." 

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(Image: The US Sun)