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In a recent interview, Erling Haaland's agent Mino Raiola revealed the Borussia Dortmund striker could join Barcelona next season, even if the possibility of him doing so looks difficult. The Dutch-Italian agent also confirmed interest in Haaland from Real Madrid.
Speaking about Haaland's potential move to Barcelona, Raiola said:
"It's difficult, but not impossible. That's the job of one of the club's directors. It's the same for the clubs as it is for the players."
Regarding interest from the Spanish capital, the agent mentioned:
"I don't know if they (Real Madrid) can afford him, because I've haven't studied their books. But I think they can. I think they all can. The question is different: Can Madrid afford not to buy Haaland? And Barcelona?"
The 20-year-old Norwegian has rapidly risen through the ranks in Germany and Europe to become one of the most sought-after footballers in the world. Barcelona are in the race to sign Erling Haaland, but their prevailing financial woes may well rule them out at the moment.
Raiola, on his part, has confirmed Dortmund's stance once again. The German club insist they are not going to sell Erling Haaland this year. The striker has a €75 million release clause in his contract, which will activate in the summer of 2022.
"What we know as of today is that Dortmund spoke extremely solemnly to us and said: 'We are not selling him.' That's the situation, definitely."
Raiola also remained tight-lipped on whether Erling Haaland's short-term future depends on Borussia Dortmund's qualification for the Champions League. The German club currently sit 5th in the Bundesliga, one point away from Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League places.
When asked about the role of Champions League qualification in Erling Haaland's future, Raiola said:
"Of course, we can guess at a lot of things. Today, the official stance of Dortmund is this. But I've got another view, I think that if a good opportunity comes up and everyone would be happy, we'll put it on the table."
It's hard to say no to clubs like Barcelona and Real Madrid - Raiola
During the lengthy interview, Raiola likened Erling Haaland's "obsession" with scoring goals to that of Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
"Haaland is interested in two things. Scoring goals, because he’s a little bit like Cristiano or Zlatan… it’s his obsession, in a positive way. And winning titles. No doubt he’ll pick somewhere where he feels those two things go together best for him. It's really hard to lie," Raiola said.
The agent also confirmed that when big clubs like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain come knocking for a player, it is difficult to turn them down.
"When a club like Barcelona or Real Madrid comes in for you, with so much history and being such a big club, it's hard to say no. PSG is getting into his group of big clubs, City is trying, Juve have always been there. The league they play in is important too," Raiola added.
