Barcelona are one of the many clubs interested in Red Bull Salzburg striker Erling Braut Haland.
The 19-year-old has been in spectacular form for the Austrian club, scoring 26 goals in just 18 appearances in all competitions.
According to ESPN FC, Barcelona could make a move for Haland and are one of many top European sides interested in his signature. But, the Catalan giants feel that the €100 million that Salzburg are demanding is way more than what the Norwegian is worth. Barcelona will reportedly not make a bid for him if the asking price is not reduced.
Haland, the son of former Manchester City defender Alf-Inge Haland, moved to Red Bull Salzburg in January 2019 and has gone on to have a phenomenal year.
He has scored 26 goals and registered 6 assists this season, which includes 7 goals in the Champions League. He moved from Norwegian side Molde to Salzburg and has four years remaining on his current deal.
A good move or a potential mismatch?
Barcelona are in the hunt for a new striker as current forward Luis Suarez is entering the twilight of his career at the Catalan club.
They need to sign a young striker, who can be a crucial player for their team for the next decade or more. Haland ticks that box as he is 19 and has several years of football ahead of him.
Haland is 6’4″, and has been compared to former Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimović, thanks to his height, movement and goal-scoring exploits. The teenager has certainly shown that he can score a lot of goals, even in a top tier competition like the Champions League.
But, the question remains – is he a Barcelona-type player? Yes and no. He may physically not be like the typical Barcelona player, standing at 6’4″, but he certainly makes up for it with his goals, hold up play and skills.
Haland is a good finisher and is deadly from inside the box, while he also has the skills to skip past a player and run at the opposition’s goal. He’s deceptively quick for a tall player and would not slow down attacks if he does join Barcelona.
A fee of €100 million would be far too much for a player that has had just one good season, but half of that price would make him a good buy for Barcelona.
