Laporta eyes marquee triple Barcelona transfers with Man City superstar, top Man Utd target wanted

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has drawn up ambitious plans to mark the opening of the new Spotify Nou Camp stadium with a colossal blockbuster new signing – and Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland reportedly tops his three-man wishlist.

The Spanish giants are currently riding high at the top of LaLiga, having won 11 of their 13 league matches played so far and with new coach Hansi Flick having made a big impression. Their progress under the German coach is perhaps all the more impressive given Barcelona have played eight times on the road and just five at home – and with their home dates, this season being played across the city at the 55,000 capacity Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.

With the Nou Camp under reconstruction, Barcelona will likely see out the current campaign at their temporary home, though there remains hope it could open before the conclusion of the 2024/25 season – and under his new guise of the Spotify Nou Camp, with the music streaming service becoming principal sponsors of both the iconic stadium’s redevelopment and their main shirt sponsors too.

To mark the opening of the new ground, Spanish journalist David Bernabeu Reverter claims Laporta wants a blockbuster new arrival to mark the grand reopening – with Haaland right at the very top of a three-man wanted list.

The Norwegian goal machine is contracted to Manchester City until summer 2027 and his deal does contain a clause allowing non-Premier League sides to sign the Leeds-born hitman for a specific amount. That ranges from anywhere between €150m (£124.4m, $160m) to $217.3m (£180m, $230m) depending on when it is triggered.

A deal, though, is seen as notoriously difficult to pull off, not least owing to the costs involved, and Reverter claims Laporta has a Plan B in the form of Sporting CP hot-shot Viktor Gyokeres.

The Swede has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United following Ruben Amorim’s appointment there and a reunion at Old Trafford is understood to be one of the new head coach’s aims heading into next summer’s window.

But with Sporting seemingly willing to grant his exit, Barcelona are reportedly ready to rival United for his signing as a result.

READ MORE ~ Fabrizio Romano rates Man Utd chances of January deal for Gyokeres with ‘behind the scenes’ work being done

Barcelona also want Liverpool target and how can they finance these moves?

As a Plan C, and if they are unable to land either Haaland or Gyokeres, it’s reported that Laporta has identified Eintracht Frankfurt striker Omar Marmoush as a final option.

The Egyptian has blasted his way to an impressive 14 goals and 10 assists from just 16 appearances this season, a figure that gives him a goal contribution every 52.79 minutes he is on the field, marginally better than Gyokeres (23 goals, four assists) who stands at one every 56.51 and stronger also than Haaland (15 goals, zero assists) who lags behind with a mere 93.46! Clearly, the Norwegian needs to buck his ideas up a little!

Marmoush’s form has seen him emerge as a target for Liverpool and new boss Arne Slot ahead of the 2025 window, it has been reported.

Barcelona reportedly plan to finance deals for either of the trio by offloading Robert Lewandowski at the end of the season, while the likes of Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo could also depart in big-money deals.

Additionally, Laporta, Flick and Deco want to move on a number of fringe stars who don’t figure in their immediate plans, with former Premier League stars Andreas Christensen and Ferran Torres both falling into that category.

As far as Haaland is concerned, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed the player does indeed have an exit clause in his deal at City, though, as he told Caught Offside in September, the Cityzens remain in talks on an extension.

“There have been talks already for months between Erling Haaland and Manchester City over a new deal. So this is the priority for City,” Romano revealed. “It’s also an open negotiation with Haaland, who is very happy at the club.

“So they’ve been discussing now for months, almost six, seven months, discussing a new deal for Erling Haaland. So there is an active conversation and I think there is a good possibility, a good opportunity for them to reach an agreement.”

On the subject of a release clause in any new agreement, Romano added: “I’m not sure it’s going to be a specific clause for a club, we always had this rumour, but Erling Haaland always had clauses in his contract since Borussia Dortmund.

“At Manchester City, there are release clauses in the contract of Erling Haaland, but it’s not for a specific club. There will be, I think, a clause for his potential exit, but not only for Real Madrid.”

Romano concluded: “It will be an open clause and we will see the terms of this potential new deal. At the moment, the agreement is not reached yet, but there is a very good, positive conversation between the parties.”

Latest Barcelona transfer news: Alphonso Davies move made / Real battle for Georgian wonderkid

Meanwhile, sources have told TEAMtalk that Barcelona have made contact with the agents of Bayern Munich full-back Alphonso Davies to discuss a potential move to the Nou Camp in 2025.

Out of contract in July, the Canada star looks set to become one of the world’s most in-demand players next year with a string of top sides keen to sign him.

That hunt is seemingly led by Real Madrid, while he has also been the subject of discussions at Old Trafford.

Despite a sizeable signing-on fee and enormous wages to boot, Barcelona are now very much in the mix for his signature too.

Elsewhere, the Blaugrana are battling fierce rivals Real for the signing of Georgian wonderkid Saba Kharebashvili, who is already wanted by a string of Serie A sides. Just 16 years of age, the full-back is already being heralded as a major future star.

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