Operation Haaland: Guardiola and Laporta 'threaten' Madrid

With his statements in 'The Athletic', Mino Raiola kicked off the bid for his represented Erling Haaland: “Perhaps I was too cautious when taking him to Dortmund. With Haaland everyone was wrong, he does things faster than everyone imagined. Now he can play in any club and at any level. “An invitation to all the greats of Europe to place their bets on the Norwegian striker, the sensation of the Old Continent with Mbappé thanks to his excellent numbers: 33 goals in 31 games for Dortmund this season and 20 goals in his 14 Champions League games to date.

However, the current situation in the world of football due to the economic consequences of the coronavirus crisis has greatly reduced the financial capacity of the big players, the hardest hit by the absence of public in the stadiums: for Real Madrid, for example, a 25% drop in revenue, exceeding 200 million euros. However, the white team will bet heavily this summer on Haaland to relaunch its project for the next decade.

And you already know that Manchester City will be the great rival in that battle. This Wednesday the English newspapers indicate that the City has saved an economic game important to replace Agüero, who has just announced his departure from England after a decade there. This amount would include the transfer that Dortmund will request for Haaland (180 million is already being discussed) and a salary that, they consider in England, would entail an expense of 36 million gross per season. A bid to which Barcelona wants to join by direct push from Joan Laporta. This Holy Thursday, Raiola and Haaland's father were 'hunted' upon arrival at the Barcelona airport to meet with the new Barcelona leader. For Madrid, Haaland is one of their future priorities and they do not want to lose the pedal stroke in the race. Therefore, taking advantage of the fact that Papa Haaland and Raiola were in Barcelona, ​​he organized a meeting with both of them on the same Thursday afternoon to see first-hand what the situation of the Borussia striker is like.

Esports3 publishes that Raiola told them that Haaland only wants to play for Barça or Real Madrid. The Barça leaders have responded that they want the Norwegian footballer. But they have also admitted that due to Barça's economic difficulties, the ideal is to sign him in the summer of 2022, when the player will have a termination clause of 75 million euros.. On the other hand, to incorporate him at the end of this season, he would have to negotiate with Borussia Dortmund, which would not sell him for less than 150 million. In operations, 40 million commissions would have to be added for the father and the representative. To convince Haaland, Barça guarantees that he will be the second highest paid player in the squad, after Messi, or the first and lead the project, in case the Argentine does not follow. The Catalans are aware that they cannot compete economically with Real Madrid either and trust that the bet of the whites for Mbappé favors that Haaland ends up wearing a azulgrana.

It is clear that Barcelona and Real Madrid are the ones that have taken the lead. Bayern Munich always came out on the lists to compete for the signing of the Norwegian, given his fishing history in the ranks of Borussia. But the president of the Bavarian club, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, has already been in charge of ruling out that option, for now: “I don't know where the rumors come from. All I can say is that we have the best footballer in the world in this position. Robert Lewandowski is under contract until 2023 and I am convinced that, considering his professionalism, how he trains and takes care of his body, it will not be his end here. “

However, according to Mundo Deportivo, Mino Raiola and Haaland's father will soon meet in London with representatives from City, United, Chelsea and Liverpool.

Guardiola and Raiola have a past

The name of Barcelona has also emerged as a possibility, given the excellent relationship between Joan Laporta, recently elected culé president, and Mino Raiola. But Barça's delicate economic situation puts him at the tail end of the race. City is the great rival and has a sentimental advantage: Alfie Haaland, father of the Dortmund forward, played for three seasons at City. Although there are also obstacles, such as the disastrous relationship between Raiola and Guardiola, a consequence of Ibrahimovic's brief stint in Barcelona in 2009-10. “It's surreal, no striker is worth him: Etoo, Ibrahimovic, then it will be Villa … He has to build one biomechanically,” he said when he removed Ibra from Barcelona by decision of the coach. Today, in The Athletic, he acknowledges that the wound is still there: “My book with Guardiola is closed, everyone knows what we think of each other. But he is a great coach.”

Madrid also has its strengths in its favor: the relations between the white club and Borussia are excellent, cultivated over the years with various operations (Sahin, Achraf, Reinier …), and despite the lack of harmony that exists between Florentino Pérez and Raiola, the Italian agent wishes to do business on a sustained basis with Real Madrid, now that the influence of Jorge Mendes in the white wardrobe has fallen.