Manchester City’s Erling Haaland was keen on Barcelona move in 2022 – contacts re-opened with agent | OneFootball

The links between Erling Haaland and a move to La Liga have always been much stronger with Real Madrid, but there was a time where there was talk of Barcelona making a move for the lethal Norwegian. With Barcelona still in salary cap hell, President Joan Laporta has reportedly made Haaland his long-term target once again.

Before Barcelona signed Robert Lewandowski, Xavi Hernandez spoke with Haaland in 2022, and he would then visit Catalonia before also conducting visits with Real Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool. As per MD, Haaland was interested in a move to Barcelona though, and gave them the green light to move for him.

From that point on it became clear that Barcelona could not afford him, and they ended up moving for Lewandowski. Haaland and his agency, as well as his father Alf-Inge Haaland, are notoriously thorough in their approach, and have tried to keep as many options on the table as possible for the number nine, and while the Blaugrana may have had the approval to go for Haaland, it is not to say he would’ve accepted their offer with all of them in front of him.