In the chase of Borussia Dortmund and Norway centre-forward Erling Haaland, Real Madrid has gotten a jump on their arch-rivals Barcelona, according to the publication SPORT.
Following his impressive performances for Borussia Dortmund over the previous two seasons, the 21-year-old is one of the most sought-after commodities on the transfer market going into the summer. So far in his tenure with the Black and Yellows, Haaland has amassed an impressive total of 80 goals and 21 assists in 79 games, placing him on the radar of every top-flight team in Europe.
In addition, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, and Paris Saint-Germain are all said to be interested in signing the Norwegian international this summer. Barcelona, along with the other clubs interested in signing the former RB Salzburg forward before the summer transfer window closes.
Despite acquiring Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in January, the Blaugrana are intent on bringing in a top-quality marksman to help them replace the vacuum created by the loss of Lionel Messi and the unexpected retirement of Sergio Aguero. To do this, Erling Haaland has been selected as the primary target, with president Joan Laporta determined to get him to Camp Nou.
Barcelona, on the other hand, may now be forced to abandon their pursuit of the 21-year-old, as Real Madrid has seized the initiative in the battle to sign the Borussia Dortmund striker. Likewise, the La Liga leaders are on the lookout for fresh players to their offensive squad. It is widely thought that they are closing in on the acquisition of Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer.
Barcelona is facing a serious fight from Real Madrid for Borussia Dortmund attacker Erling Haaland in the upcoming summer transfer window
Club president Florentino Perez, on the other hand, is keen on bringing in Haaland to the Santiago Bernabeu to establish a Galactico strikeforce at the club. Madrid is thought to have made contact with the striker’s agent, Mino Raiola, earlier this month and it seems that they have made significant progress in their discussions with the agent.
Raiola’s lawyer, Rafaela Pimenta, and the Norwegian player’s father, Alf-Inge Haaland, met with officials from Real Madrid in Monaco, where they were in town to conduct negotiations with Aurelien Tchouameni, the club’s major midfield target, according to reports. Los Blancos have been able to reach a verbal deal with the Dortmund superstar’s camp after holding discussions with the Dortmund camp. This provides them an advantage over their opponents.
According to the deal, Haaland will be barred from entering into negotiations with any other clubs, albeit the ultimate choice on whether or not to join Real Madrid will be up to the player himself. However, with the likes of Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior already at the club, as well as the possibility of Mbappe joining, it will be intriguing to watch whether the 21-year-old decides to move to the Bernabeu after the season.
Real Madrid would have to pay at least €75 million to Borussia Dortmund to get Haaland, while they might offer Luka Jovic as part of the deal to bring down the price tag even more. It remains to be seen whether or not this operation will see the light of day by the summer.