Barcelona's top target has five offers; Real Madrid hope for delayed deal

Barcelona are keen to bring in a marquee signing in the summer after signing four players in January

FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta has made no secret of his desire to sign Erling Braut Haaland in the summer if the latter decides to leave Borussia Dortmund. The Norwegian attacker is bound to have a number of suitors, especially since he could be available for a bargain £64 million owing to a clause in his contract.

The 21-year-old has a contract until the end of the 2024 campaign with Dortmund, but will be allowed to leave this summer if a club meets his release clause. Haaland's prolific form for the German Bundesliga club has made him the top target for a number of European giants.

According to Cadena Ser, the Norway international has as many as five offers on the table to choose from this summer. Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich are keen to sign him.

While the £64 million fee seems to be a bargain to sign him from Dortmund, interested teams are likely to fork out huge sums in terms of wages and signing-on fees for Haaland. Pep Guardiola's reigning Premier League champions are the best placed financially to sign him, but it has been suggested that he prefers a move to Spain over England.

Erling Haaland — Erling Braut Haaland celebrates after scoring the opening goal for Borussia Dortmund against Schalke Martin Meissner/POOL

Real are also big admirers of the Norwegian hitman, but have made Kylian Mbappe their main target for the summer. They are keen to sign Haaland, but are hoping he remains with Dortmund for one more season before joining them in 2023.

Dortmund general director Hans-Joachim Watzke is unsure if Haaland will stay at the club beyond this summer. He expects the club to hold talks with the striker and his representatives in the coming weeks to get a clear understanding of his plans for the summer.

"I don't know," Watzke said, when asked about Haaland staying with Dortmund, as quoted by Sport. "In the end it's Haaland's decision and the people around him. Without a doubt, it will be cleared up in the coming weeks, maybe in a month or in six weeks."

Dortmund are not overly concerned as they have shown in the past that they are very adept at finding able replacements. Robert Lewandowski was replaced by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and the latter was replaced by Haaland when he left for Arsenal.