Erling Haaland
Madrid, Spain – October 21, 2025: Champions League match between Villarreal FC and Manchester City played in Villarreal. Manchester City players during the match.
Barcelona could afford to sign Manchester City star Erling Haaland or Atlético Madrid star Julián Alvarez in the summer.
That’s according to Joan Soler, who has been part of Joan Laporta’s board since 2021. He has stepped down along Laporta and the rest of the board as the president is recontesting during the upcoming election.
Soler has been speaking to Cadena Ser about the Manchester City striker, and his former Etihad teammate and Sport have relayed his comments.
Erling Haaland starring for Manchester City
The Norway international [and Alvarez] joined Pep Guardiola’s side in 2022 and enjoyed a good run over the years. He has managed 153 goals and 28 assists from 184 matches for the English club of which 29 goals and seven assists are from this season.
Erling Haaland has been the first-choice striker at Manchester City. This convinced Alvarez to leave the Citizens for the Spanish capital club in August 2024. His name has been on the transfer agenda in recent weeks and Barca are reportedly in the mix.
In May 2025, Laporta said it’s ‘not impossible’ to sign the Manchester City striker. Later that year, Sport Witness covered claims from Spain the 25-year-old is the main target for the La Liga winners after this season.
How Barcelona can afford Manchester City striker
Erling Haaland
Madrid, Spain – October 21, 2025: Champions League match between Villarreal FC and Manchester City played in Villarreal. Manchester City players during the match.
Hansi Flick’s side will have to spend big to sign Erling Haaland or the 26-year-old Argentina international. In recent years, the Catalan club had to consider their finances and wage bill, at least to carry out signings.
Soler now explains how Barcelona could manage signing one of the two strikers in the summer.
He said: “Yes, we could sign players like Julián Álvarez or Haaland. These signings pay for themselves in five years and Barca’s finances are ready for something like this.
“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.”