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Joan Laporta prepared to bring Erling Braut Haaland to Barcelona

Joan Laporta will look to lure Erling Braut Haaland to Barcelona, suppose he is elected as the next president of the Catalan giants, El Chiringuito’s Josep Pedrerol has claimed.

The Blaugrana socios are due to vote for a new president in January next year after Josep Maria Bartomeu tended his resignation last month ahead of a vote of no confidence.

In recent weeks, number of presidential candidates have made their respective promises and Laporta, who was the president from 2003 to 2010, is one of the top contenders alongside Victor Font for the role.

As per Pedrerol, Laporta will look to pursue Haaland from Dortmund, suppose he is elected as the next Blaugrana president. It is added that the 58-year-old has a good relationship with the forward’s agent Mino Raiola and that could smoothen the negotiations.

Haaland was a relatively unknown until the first half of the previous campaign where he was in stellar form for Red Bull Salzburg with 28 goals from just 22 appearances across all competitions.

As a result, the Norwegian was the subject of high-profile interest and he decided to take up a fresh challenge by making the move to Dortmund during 2020 winter transfer window.

The 20-year-old has settled at the Bundesliga outfit with relative ease and has already bagged 33 goals from just 31 outings. While Dortmund are unlikely to sell him in the near future and they could lose him by June 2022 when the €75m release clause on his contract becomes active.

Should the Blaugrana wish to sign him prior to that, they will undoubtedly have to pay a more significant fee to test Dortmund’s resolve. Any move for Haaland next summer may also depend on the preference of the new president, which will be known by the end of January.

The Blaugrana have endured a disappointing start to the La Liga campaign and they are currently languishing 13th on the table, 12 points behind leaders Real Sociedad with two games in hand.

They have managed just one victory from the previous six league games and could have a tricky challenge on their hands on Sunday against Osasuna, who picked up four points against them last term including a stunning 2-1 triumph at the Camp Nou on Matchday 37.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com

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