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Barcelona chief Joan Soler has issued a bold statement on a potential summer move for Manchester City's Erling Haaland as Hansi Flick's side eye a new centre forward
Barcelona are prepared to splash the cash on a centre forward this summer and could swoop for Manchester City forward Erling Haaland, according to long-time board member Joan Soler.
Hansi Flick's side are expected to prioritise signing a new No.9 with Robert Lewandowski's contract set to run out at the end of June.
Ferran Torres can be used in that central position, but Barcelona are keen to strengthen up front with ex-City forward Julian Alvarez and Haaland said to be attainable in the summer transfer window.
Soler, who has served on Joan Laporta's board since 2021, believes that Barca would be able to sign 'players like Alvarez and Haaland', despite Barcelona's financial struggles in recent years.
"Yes, we could sign players like Julian Alvarez or [Erling] Haaland," Soler told broadcaster Cadena Ser. "These signings pay for themselves in five years and Barca's finances are ready for something like this.
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"At the end of the day, Barca must be very careful about which signings it makes in terms of the wage bill. We have set ourselves a limit and we are not going to exceed it.
"We have to sign players at market prices, keeping our salary scales in mind."
Haaland has eight-and-a-half years left on his City contract and has committed his long-term future to the Etihad Stadium.
The Norwegian has been a revelation since his £51million move from Borussia Dortmund in 2022, scoring 153 goals in 184 appearances, winning five major trophies including the Premier League twice.
Alvarez, meanwhile, spent two years at City and proved to be a success, netting 42 times in 94 matches before he opted to leave and sign for Atletico Madrid in a £82m deal in 2024.
Barca are thought to be frontrunners to secure Alvarez's signature should he decide to depart Atletico this summer.
The Argentine's long-term future at the Wanda Metropolitano is uncertain, with Barca, Arsenal and Chelsea said to be among those in the mix to sign him.
TyC Sports journalist Gaston Edul provided an update on Alvarez's future on Wednesday and believes that his preference is Barca. "Julian will be a hot topic for the next six months and throughout the transfer window because he's a player who will be in high demand, and perhaps he's not that expensive for what he offers," Edul said.
"Several clubs want him. He has two clubs interested in him: Arsenal and Chelsea, who are already known to be interested, and Barcelona. Barca has always wanted Julian.
"Barca already wanted him when he was at Manchester City. They even spoke, but never made an offer, and this interest remains.
"Julian chose to live in Spain because he liked the country, and he's keen on Barcelona to avoid returning to the cold of England, but Barcelona needs to be more concrete about what they're hinting at."
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