Getty Erling Haaland celebrates scoring for Dortmund.
Barcelona target Erling Haaland has spoken out about his future and revealed he will have to make a decision soon after coming under pressure from Borussia Dortmund.
Haaland is one of the hottest properties in Europe due to his prolific form for the Bundesliga team. The Norway international has bagged 78 goals in 77 appearances since joining from Red Bull Salzburg in December 2019.
Two of those goals came in Dortmund’s 5-1 Bundesliga win over Freiburg on Friday, January 14, after which the striker addressed the speculation about his future in an interview with Norwegian TV channel Viaplay.
“The last six months I have chosen not to say anything out of respect for Dortmund, but now the club has started to press me into making a decision,” he said. “All I want to do is play football. But they press me … about my future, so that means I have to make a decision soon.”
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Haaland Says It’s Time to Get Things Started
Haaland also added that he would rather focus on his football for the time being but again insisted that Dortmund are keen to know his future plans sooner rather than later.
“That is what they [Dortmund] want. It means things will happen now,” he added. “They have started to put a lot of pressure on me, and I have to accept that … so now is the time to get things started.”
Barcelona are one of several clubs interested in landing Haaland at the end of the season. The club’s financial problems may make an signing difficult, although the striker does have a release clause of just €75 million that comes into force this summer, as reported by Marca.
The Catalan giants will face fierce competition for Haaland’s signature. Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola also wants the Norwegian, according to Diario AS. Meanwhile, Real Madrid want both Haaland and Kylian Mbappe in the summer, as reported by Marca.
Laporta Reacts to Haaland Talk
Barcelona president Joan Laporta’s top priority is to bring Haaland to the Camp Nou and the club “will put all their economic efforts” into landing the striker, according to Marca.
Laporta has already spoken bullishly about the club’s ambitions after bringing in Ferran Torres from Manchester City during the January transfer window.
“We’re working to build a top team. Everything is possible if we do things well, and I’m sure we will. Top players are open to joining Barça,” he told reporters at a press conference. “We’re definitely recovering our status. Everybody in the world should get ready, as we are back as big players in the market.”
Laporta has also reacted to the Haaland speculation when asked by supporters in Saudi Arabia about the striker, as reported by Sport. “Who’s that?” he joked in response to a fan before adding, “That kid’s a very good player!”
Barca’s finances may be tight due to years of mismanagement but La Liga expert Guillem Balague has told BBC Sport the club could still afford to land Haaland, provided they can make sales first.
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Source: Heavy
