Barca in hunt for Haaland
BY TOM HOPKINSON BARCELONA have stepped up the pace in the race to land Erling Haaland.
Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Real Madrid are also in the hunt to sign the prolific Dortmund striker in June.
Productive negotiations have taken place between Barca president Joan Laporta, sporting director Jordi Cruyff, Haaland’s agent Mino Raiola and the star’s father Alf-Inge Haaland — the former Leeds and City star.
Haaland is looking for at least £21million in wages a year and maybe as much as £30m.
City know they will have to better whatever Barcelona can offer in terms of salary and bonuses to be in with a shout of tempting the 21-year-old to the Etihad.
They must also factor in a transfer fee of around £63m to trigger the release clause in
Haaland’s contract at Dortmund.
Raiola is determined to get the best possible deal for his client and intends to continue meeting representatives from all of those clubs with the financial muscle to sign the Norway international.
LIKE every Liverpool fan across the world, I just want Mo Salah and Sadio Mane to sign new contracts at Anfield.
Unlike most, though, I don’t think the lack of movement in negotiations is some dark conspiracy to get them out of the club, to be replaced by younger models in a year’s time or sooner.
Granted, the arrival of Luis Diaz means Jurgen Klopp has more options now.
An alternative for Mane, if necessary, or even Roberto Firmino because Diaz can play in that false No.9 role, too.
He’s not come in to replace Mane, though, or Salah.
Not any time soon. That’s just nonsense. And today’s Carabao Cup Final tells you that.
Which names are first on Klopp’s team sheet?
Unless he goes with one of the lesser lights out of sentiment because they played in the earlier rounds, it will be Salah and Mane. No question.
Diaz has been signed because Liverpool are doing what they always did during the dominant years of the 70s and 80s.
Winning now, while planning for the future.
It’s evolution, not revolution. In the past, players were signed and then stuck in the reserves for a year or two. It took Rushie about 12 years to get into the side – or so I always tell him!
They’re doing it again now. Not just with Andy Robertson or Fabinho, who had six months learning the system, but players such as Ibrahima Konate, Kostas Tsimikas, Joe Gomez even, and Takumi Minamino.
Look around this Liverpool squad, there’s a younger player signed in every position.
Diogo Jota, Caoimhin Kelleher, Diaz now, and players who have emerged from the academy, who are now playing or out on loan, such as Harvey Elliott, Curtis Jones, Neco Williams, Kaide Gordon and Tyler Morton.
The first team may not be getting any younger, but it’s still a healthily youthful squad.
You can see players such as Diaz, Elliott, Jones and Gordon really developing and blossoming under Klopp.
But that doesn’t mean Salah, Mane and Firmino won’t be given new deals. They are in the prime of their careers now… so why throw that away?
Klopp has said himself he believes his front three can stay at the top level into their mid-30s and, honestly – knowing them as I do and seeing them close up – you must agree.
Salah and Mane don’t drink. They are in the gym without fail.
And they are decent people, who do as much incredible work off the pitch for their home countries as they do on the pitch for Liverpool.
Who will Chelsea fear most this afternoon? Salah and Mane.
I can guarantee Thomas Tuchel’s plans will revolve around somehow stopping the pair of them. And he’ll be needing luck with that.
In fact, the final tells you an awful lot about the modern game. Look at Romelu Lukaku, and, even though his track record is impeccable, it’s still been an expensive
gamble
Chelsea signing him. What was he supposed to have cost, £97million? A record signing, and he’s on the bench. Probably.
And he’s on his way out after a year. Almost certainly.
So the idea of replacing worldclass players in their absolute prime, who are happy at the club and have maybe another five years in their legs, with bigmoney gambles just doesn’t make sense. It’s madness in fact.
I’m not one to throw around the term ‘legend’ like confetti.
But I’m more than happy to bestow it on both Salah and Mane, given the number of goals they have scored for Liverpool.
And Tuchel will be obsessing about them, without question.
But what happens next about their contracts? If they don’t sign, then, logically, they can be sold in the summer.
Then Liverpool would have to sign Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to rival Manchester City next season.
And, as Lukaku shows, spending hundreds of millions is no guarantee of success.
But if Salah and Mane can play on for five more years – at least, as Klopp says – why even try to replace them, especially as they know Klopp’s system inside out?
That’s why I think there will be good contract news eventually.
Signing Jota, Diaz and the rest allows the frontline players to be rested more often. And when they do start to slow down, there will be an experienced player waiting to take over.
It was always the Liverpool way – and it’s refreshing to see it happening again.