Update On Barcelona And Their Pursuit Of This Manchester City Forward: What Should Flick Do? | OneFootball

In a recent edition of the Inside Track podcast, journalist Pete O’Rourke offered an update on Barcelona and their pursuit of Manchester City forward Erling Haaland. O’Rourke said,

“No, it’s highly unlikely. I think he’d be a dream signing for almost any club, Haaland, and Man City are lucky enough to have him.

“He signed a new long-term contract extension last year to keep him at the Etihad until 2034, so to try and prise Haaland out of Man City would take well in excess of £150million, even more than that.

“City don’t want to lose their star man, we know how important he is to Man City with five goals in four Premier League games so far this season.

“He is arguably the best striker in Europe, his figures tell you that, so Man City don’t want to lose him.

“Barcelona would love the idea of having Haaland as a long-term replacement for Lewandowski, but their financial issues would make it very, very hard for them.

“They would have to sell a number of their other players to fund that deal.”

Haaland’s Impressive Form In The Premier League Last Season

Haaland enjoyed a rich vein of form for Man City in the previous campaign when he put in a series of impressive displays for them in the final third. The Norway international banged in 34 goals and grabbed five assists in 48 matches for the Mancunian side last season across multiple competitions.

The 25-year-old led the line well for Pep Guardiola’s side as he averaged 3.42 shots per 90 minutes in the Premier League. He kept 52.9% of his attempts on target. However, Haaland needs to improve his ball distribution after completing 66.9% of his attempted passes in the English first division (stats via fbref.com).

LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 21: Erling Haaland of Mancheater City celebrates scoring his sides first goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Manchester City at Emirates Stadium on September 21, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

What Should Barcelona Boss Hansi Flick Do With Regards To Haaland?

Haaland is proficient at finding some space for himself to get some strikes in at goal. He has got the vision to create the odd chance for others around him in the final third and has proven himself to be one of the best finishers in Europe.

The Norwegian sensation is also quite clever with his movements in and around the opponent’s penalty area. However, he has to find a way to improve his ball distribution up top.

We can expect Haaland to add plenty of goals to Barcelona boss Hansi Flick’s frontline. He has what it takes to serve as an ideal replacement for Robert Lewandowski at the Catalan club.

At 25, Haaland has his peak years ahead of him, which makes him a good choice for Barca to consider next year. All in all, Flick would be wise to move in for him this January or at the end of this campaign.