Erling Haaland’s agent Mino Raiola and his father Alfie have been seen arriving at Real Madrid this afternoon, just hours after the pair visited Barcelona for talks over the star striker.
Haaland is one of the most sought-after players in Europe, having scored 49 goals in as many games since arriving from RB Salzburg last January, with Manchester United, City and Chelsea all interested in the 20-year-old.
Barcelona’s new president Joan Laporta appeared to have stolen a march on his competitors after his assistant picked up Haaland’s agent and father from the airport on Thursday morning as the pair arrived for talks over a £154million move.
However, El Chiringuito TV has revealed images of super agent Raiola and Alfie arriving at Madrid headquarters on Thursday afternoon, mere hours after their meeting with Barcelona.
Raiola and Haaland Snr flew in from Nice at 9:30am, held a two-hour meeting with Laporta and Barca’s new director of football Mateu Alemany, who sold the club and next season’s project to Haaland’s representatives, before moving onto Madrid.
Haaland Snr and Raiola’s visit comes after reports emerged that Madrid are looking to offload the £150million worth of talent currently out on loan to help them finance a move for either Haaland or PSG star Kylian Mbappe this summer.
Gareth Bale and Arsenal pair Martin Odegaard and Dani Ceballos are among nine players out on loan from the La Liga champions, with the Norway captain in particular impressing out of the trio in north London.
And according to Spanish outlet AS, Madrid are looking to sell some of the players in that €176m ‘loan box’ to help them finance a move for Mbappe or Haaland.
Raiola and Haaland Snr’s visits on Thursday are unlikely to be their last, with City, United and Chelsea all hoping to lure the Norwegian to England this summer in what is expected to be a fierce battle for the hotshot.
New Barca president Laporta’s priority is to sign the Norwegian forward this summer, with Dortmund valuing their star man at £154million.
Even though Barca are in a precarious financial state, amid debts soaring past £1billion, Raiola’s excellent personal relationship with Laporta means there is optimism at the Nou Camp that a deal for Haaland could be reached.
The forward has a £65m release clause at Dortmund which only comes into effect in 2022, but he could leave this summer as Dortmund struggle to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
The news of Raiola and Haaland Snr in Barcelona comes as the hierarchy at Dortmund reportedly saw Raiola’s comments on the player this week as a ‘declaration of war’.
The super agent admitted he was ‘maybe too careful’ in facilitating a move to Dortmund instead of Man United for Haaland last year, and used the phrase: ‘Oh no, let’s move to Dortmund instead.’
But the Bundesliga club responded angrily to Raiola’s phrasing, with German outlet Sport 1 saying they see it as a ‘declaration of war’ while Raiola ‘plays poker’ for the Norwegian’s next big move.
