Social media's latest story about David Ornstein reporting that Manchester City have been found guilty on "114 out of 115 charges" has shaken up the footballing world. However, Premier League's proceedings are still strictly behind closed doors, and no official verdict has been handed down yet.
🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Manchester City found guilty on virtually all charges relating to breaches of Premier League financial regulations. #MCFC expected to appeal against verdict issued by independent commission. Sanctions undecided, process ongoing @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/Muxqp4beK9
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) September 25, 2026
However, every Cule who has trouble sleeping at night has thought the unthinkable: what happens if the Premier League takes down Manchester City in the most severe punishments available?
World stars in their prime simply won't stay at a mid-table club or in Europe's second league. If Erling Haaland does indeed become available, Joan Laporta needs to be on the first plane to Manchester.
The ultimate tap-in king at the new Camp Nou
Imagine what Hansi Flick's attacking players would do with a world-class predator on their side.
Currently, Barcelona attacks at such a high level that it regularly creates chances of a quality needed to win any Champions League final. Now imagine inserting Erling Haaland in the middle of the attack as our new reference point, surrounded by some of the most dangerous attacking players in world football:
- Lamine Yamal, drawing defenders towards the right wing then delivering a cross inside the box with the outside of his boot.
- Raphinha, sprinting on the left wing to win the ball then playing a low ball into the box
- Karim Adeyemi, making late runs behind the defense in wide areas at blistering speed
- Fermin Lopez, surging forward from deep positions to occupy defenders and win second balls in the box
In such a dream setup, Erling Haaland would score at least 30 goals in a season, and probably more. He wouldn't even need to touch the ball 10 times a game or make three defenders dance around him. All he would have to do is move into the penalty area, push any defender out of his way, and tap the ball into an empty net. This would be an absolute nightmare for any defender.
Is it actually financially possible?
Everyone is aware of how much flexibility Barcelona have in their wage cap, but football is a game of timing.
By the time Manchester City's appeal trial finally comes to an end, Barca's spending capacity will be even more, with full stadium revenues and some important sponsorship contracts.
If the punishment gets official and announced to the public, it is likely to cause an immediate reaction from players and their representatives. I'm not saying it will happen, but the possibility is there, especially considering how eager the club president Joan Laporta has been to pursue Erling Haaland, and how open the player's representatives have been to the idea of the player moving to Spain.
Erling Haaland currently looks like a once-in-a-lifetime target for Barcelona, and the chaos around Manchester City's punishment could very well be the catalyst needed for the Blaugrana to finally sign him.
Add us as a preferred source on Google