Not so long ago Javier Tebas mentioned that Real Madrid have the financial resources to sign Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland next summer if they wanted to because of their efficient financial management during the pandemic.
Haaland and Mbappe are currently the two biggest names in world football and are destined to dominate football post the Ronaldo-Messi era. The duo is also wanted by almost every top European club and could leave their respective sides next year itself.
For Mbappe, the transfer race already seems to be over with Los Blancos being in the driving seat to sign him as a free agent. Meanwhile, for Haaland, it seems to be an open race for his signature next season.
Erling Haaland means business and when I say business, I mean scoring goals, tons of goals. The 21-year-old has scored 11 goals in eight games for Borussia Dortmund so far this season. While his current market value is set at 130 million euros, Haaland could be sold for a lot less next year and here’s why.
Despite being on contract with Dortmund until 2024, Erling Haaland has a special clause in his contract regarding a 75-million euro release clause (which was reportedly raised to 90 million) in the year 2022. That means Haaland could leave Germany for as little as 90 million euros due to his release clause.
Due to his affordable release clause, the list of suitors for the Norwegian continue to multiply. However, there’s a catch in this potential transfer.
While his release clause is only 90 million euros, an interested team could end up paying as much as 150 million euros or more after including bonuses, commissions, agent fees and other overhead expenses that will be part of the entire project. Not many teams would be able to afford such a transfer, especially post-pandemic. Having said that, here are five ranked teams that would compete for Erling Haaland’s signing next summer.
5. BARCELONA
In my opinion, Barcelona are the least favourites out of the teams to sign Erling Haaland next season and I’ll briefly explain why. A couple of months ago, Joan Laporta had made contact with Borussia Dortmund over Haaland and a possible transfer in 2022. But since then, a lot has changed for Barcelona.
The Catalans currently find themselves in the doldrums due to the financial mismanagement under Josep Maria Bartomeu’s presidential tenure. Barca are no longer a dominant force in the transfer market like they were in the past when they signed the likes of Neymar, Luis Suarez, Ousmane Dembele, Philippe Coutinho etc for hefty transfer sums.
At the moment, there is no possible way that Barcelona can compete with the other big fish for the signing of Erling Haaland. Apart from the financial perspective, Barca also fall short in terms of offering a successful sporting project as opposed to the other suitors.
The Catalans face unprecedented times without their greatest player, Lionel Messi. Ronald Koeman’s future at the club looks dicey and there seems to be no concrete project in place to put Barca back on the map as one of Europe’s biggest clubs. Although Laporta seems and looks optimistic about signing Haaland, in reality, it seems highly unlikely. It’s almost like selling dreams.
4. MANCHESTER UNITED
Manchester United have had quite a transfer window last summer after signing Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo. The Red Devils are slowly building their way back up to their standard and have made signings to help them reach there.
Manchester United have been linked with Erling Haaland for a long time, mainly due to the personal touch that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has with the Norwegian international. Ole had managed Haaland for two years during his managerial stint at Molde, a professional club that competes in the first-division league in Norway.
The manager and striker still maintain a cordial relationship making Manchester United one of the favourites to sign Erling Haaland. But then again like Chelsea, United now have Cristiano Ronaldo who has signed a two-year contract with an option to extend by a year.
With Ronaldo now on the rooster, does Manchester United actually require another goal-scorer? While the 36-year-old Portuguese at the moment is considered to be a quick fix for the attack, United will be looking into the signing of Haaland as a long-term project.
The Red Devils can easily afford the signing of the 21-year-old and a possible strike partnership alongside Ronaldo could be on the cards next season at Old Trafford.
3. PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN
Paris Saint-Germain had one of the best transfer windows in football history last summer. Les Parisiens signed Gianluigi Donnarruma, Georginio Wijnaldum, Sergio Ramos and Lionel Messi as free agents while breaking the bank for former Real Madrid youth product, Achraf Hakimi.
PSG have built a star-studded team but despite their best intentions, they’ve so far failed in convincing Kylian Mbappe to stay amidst Real Madrid’s interest. The 22-year-old is in the final year of his contract and it seems like he will not be extending his stay in Paris.
If Los Blancos managed to agree to personal terms with Mbappe in January, I strongly believe that PSG will go all out for Erling Haaland to replace their French forward, Mbappe. That seems like the only option that PSG actually have at replacing Kylian Mbappe in terms of the goal-scoring output.
It’s clear as day that Paris Saint-Germain are one of the most financially powerful clubs in all of Europe. And for them, it would be a cakewalk to offer Erling Haaland a lucrative contract that would easily convince Mino Raiola as well.
PSG can also offer an impressive sporting project based on how they perform this season in Ligue 1 and in the UEFA Champions League. Haaland will be looking for a successful sporting project as well and that’s something that Paris Saint-Germain can offer.
2. REAL MADRID
Real Madrid have been one of the top three clubs to be closely linked with Erling Haaland. In my previous article, I had spoken about Raiola’s comments on Haaland and Mbappe being able to play together and what exactly that meant for Real Madrid.
The possibility of Los Blancos signing Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe next summer is quite high but there’s a lot to it as well. First and foremost, Mbappe is the club’s priority and the French forward will also be available as a free agent if he does not renew terms with PSG.
Second of all, Madrid might face difficulties in reaching common ground with Haaland and Mino Raiola over wages, fees, commissions and other such expenses. Mino Raiola has a reputation in the market of being a demanding agent who is tough to negotiate with. And it’s obvious that Raiola will demand a handsome share through commissions, as will Haaland’s father.
That’s one stumbling block, the next would be where does Haaland fit? Real Madrid would have Eden Hazard, Karim Benzema, Kylian Mbappe ( if he signs), Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr, Luka Jovic and Erling Haaland. Before Real Madrid can even think about signing Haaland they would have to get rid of the likes of Hazard and Jovic.
That way, Mbappe can take the left-wing while Haaland takes the strikers role and the right-wing could be left-out for any other winger ( Rodrygo or Vinicius). But then, what happens to Karim Benzema, as you can see the French striker is in the form of his life and he’s even extended his contract until 2023. In my opinion, it seems complicated at the moment but Madrid are still one of the favourites to sign the generational talent next season, since Benzema isn’t going to be around forever.
1. MANCHESTER CITY
Last season’s Premier League champions Manchester City, were on the lookout for a striker all summer long after bidding farewell to their all-time top scorer, Sergio Aguero. The Citizens were closely linked with Erling Haaland and Harry Kane but were more focused on the Englishman over the Norwegian since BVB made it clear they had no intentions of selling Haaland.
Meanwhile, reports from England have it that Manchester City have already lined up a 100 million pound move for the 21-year-old in January itself. Pep Guardiola wants a striker for his system and it looks like City could well truly sign Haaland in the winter transfer market.
There’s no denying that the Sky Blues are one of the most financially powerful clubs in the world but apart from their resources, Manchester City has the power to offer a strong sporting project as well.
City under Guardiola have transformed into an unstoppable force and Erling Haaland would certainly want to experience playing under one of the world’s best managers.
The experience of playing in the Premier League is also another factor why City are favourites. On top of that, they also have a star-studded team that can cater chance after chance for Haaland to bury with Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish.
Pep Guardiola’s team look like clear favourites in this highly contested race, but in the end, nothing is certain. Only time will tell what’s in store for Erling Haaland.