Real Madrid Transfers: The best way to approach signing Erling Haaland in the closing stages

The clock is ticking for Erling Haaland to make a decision on his future. It is not an easy decision by any means, choosing between two clubs as successful as Real Madrid and Manchester City, and nobody would blame the Borussia Dortmund striker for taking his time before making a decision. Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke had placed pressure on Haaland earlier this year, but that did not affect the timeline.

As Haaland continues to mull over the lucrative offer from Madrid and the even more lucrative offer from City, Madridistas may be getting restless. There are those who are nervous and want Haaland to sign, with the wait causing more anxiety. Meanwhile, there are some fans who would rather the club move on from trying to sign Haaland and instead invest their money in a few players at positions of need, such as right back, noting that Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema, and Vinicius Jr. would already be an incredible attacking trio – and already necessitating one player compromising their favored position.

So what should Real Madrid do? Should they end their chase for a Galactico? Should they go all-in? And how do they balance their desire to sign a generational striker with the reality that they must strengthen other positions in order to give the incoming Galactico(s) (Mbappe being the one nearly guaranteed signing) the best sporting project possible?

First thing is first, I have to make something abundantly clear to you. Real Madrid can NOT pull out of the Erling Haaland transfer battle under any circumstances. It would be a catastrophic decision to leave.

Real Madrid cannot lose sight of the issues in their squad

Let me put it to you this way. How would you end a year-plus-long pursuit of a superstar player? Call up Haaland, his father, and Mino Raiola and say, “Look, I know we just offered you almost 30 million euros per year, made a whole bunch of promises and assurances, and have been talking about signing you in the future since the moment you joined Dortmund. But we changed our minds now. No, no, I know that we told you we had no concerns about you fitting in with Mbappe, Benzema, and Vinicius, but we would rather buy other players than you. See you again in three years if City lets you join us as you negotiated with them? Oh…oh, you don’t trust us anymore. Uh, well, uh, OK…can we interest you in a retro Ronaldo Nazario jers-”

Real Madrid have to maintain their interest in Haaland. Otherwise, everything they have told Haaland during these negotiations will be cast with suspicion, and they will have shown Haaland that they don’t want him. Remember, part of the reason why Real offered an outrageous 200 million euros to PSG at the 2021 summer transfer deadline was to send a message to Mbappe that they wanted him BAD and that they were going to do ANYTHING to sign him. He felt valued, whereas PSG did not make him feel valued with how they spoke about him to the media. And that matters. Also note that superstars and their agents watch how clubs treat other superstars. Think about why Haaland has shown no interest in PSG.

However, Real can maintain their interest in Haaland while still keeping in mind their financial situation. They can be honest with Haaland and his camp, informing him that there is a limit on how high they can go in wages and bonuses. Real can explain that if the Haaland, Mbappe, Benz, and Vini project is to be successful, Los Blancos need to provide them with the squad depth and backbone in defense and midfield, noting the weakness at right back, for example. Haaland will have to take a few million euros less per year, but it can be worth it in terms of his overall marketing opportunities and sporting success – with the latter clearly being the MOST important to the player. That money will be used to make the necessary upgrades at squad positions, which, if Real’s recruitment strategy is wise, should not be as expensive as some think.

Signing Haaland does not have to cost the team their chance at signing Aurelien Tchouameni, who is the ideal long-term Casemiro replacement and already a top-class midfielder. They can make sales to fund that transfer, though, of course, if the players they want to sell are not valued by the market, that could lead to a tough transfer in the vein of Raphael Varane last summer. And even if they cannot sign their ideal 2022 option in Tchouameni, they can survive waiting one more year for either him or Haaland’s current Dortmund teammate Jude Bellingham.

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It is vital Real Madrid do not forget the needs in their squad, lest Florentino Perez risks making the mistakes that doomed him in his first tenure when he built the original Galacticos project. But to maintain the aura of Madrid and to keep the door open for Haaland’s future, Real must remain invested in the player. Again, this is not a transfer battle Real can opt out of. Likewise, of course, the consequences of opting out of signing the defensive (specifically right back) and midfield help this team needs could be just as devastating, with or without the duo of Mbappe and Haaland.