Erling Haaland ‘will ask to leave’ Man City on one condition as Barcelona move ‘gains strength’
Man City striker Erling Haaland is weighing up his options ahead of the new season with a move to Barcelona next summer on the cards, according to reports.
The Citizens had a poor season by their standards in the 2024/25 campaign with Man City recovering late on to finish third and qualify for the Champions League.
Pep Guardiola’s side finished 13 points adrift of champions Liverpool after winning the Premier League title in the previous four seasons.
An injury to Rodri in September was one of the main reasons for their drop off, while Haaland did not quite reach the heights of his first couple of seasons at Man City, although he still managed 22 Premier League goals.
Man City brought in Omar Marmoush, Vitor Reis, Juma Bah, Abdukodir Khusanov and Nico Gonzalez in the January transfer window to help Guardiola finish the campaign strongly.
And they have brought in five signings so far this summer with Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rayan Cherki, Sverre Nypan and Marcus Bettinelli all joining.
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Haaland has been consistently linked with a move away from Man City over the last couple of seasons with La Liga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona interested.
However, the Norwegian briefly ended speculation over his future by signing a new contract but there were almost immediately rumours that his new deal included two break clauses, one if Man City were relegated and another if they failed to qualify for the Champions League.
And now reports in Spain claim that Haaland to Barcelona is once again ‘gaining strength’ as a replacement for Robert Lewandowski next summer.
Haaland’s name is ‘gaining traction in the Camp Nou offices’ with the Norway international ‘still on the agenda’ with Man City’s underperformance last season giving the Catalan giants a chance.
It is understood that ‘if City doesn’t fight for everything again, Haaland will ask to leave’ and Barcelona are now ‘working on a strategic financial plan for 2026 that could allow for a deal of this magnitude’.
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The report adds: ‘Lewandowski’s departure will free up a significant amount of money, and if the club manages to close several key sales and maintains budget control, it would have room to pursue the Norwegian’s signing.’
Haaland ‘is not entirely comfortable with his current role and is considering the option of starting a new era away from England’.
Former Man City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips reckons Haaland will take back his crown as the Premier League’s top goalscorer next season after Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah beat him to it last campaign.
Wright-Phillips told Prime Casino: “Mo Salah has been exceptional, but I think next season, Erling Haaland takes back the mantle as top scorer in the Premier League. Manchester City will give him more chances and he’ll put them in the back of the net.
When asked who the player is that he played with most like Haaland, Wright-Phillips added: “I’ve played with so many top players, but I think the closest player to Erling Haaland, in terms of that desire to have everything perfect, to have everything right, was Didier Drogba.
“He was like that too, to a degree. He had a precise method, a certain regime that he stuck to and wouldn’t deviate from.
“He was so driven to succeed, trying to be the very best he could be, getting advantages from everywhere he could so that even when he was away from the game, he was getting better.”
