Erling Haaland’s agent responds to claims of Manchester City transfer talks with Barcelona | OneFootball

The representative of Erling Haaland has responded to claims in Spanish media that Manchester City and Barcelona had held transfer talks over the Norwegian’s future.

The last 24 hours saw Spanish media outlet SPORT reveal a meeting between Manchester City and representatives of Barcelona presidential candidate Víctor Font, as Carles Planchart and Xavier Aguilar were spotted at Manchester City’s team hotel.

It is claimed that the duo met with City CEO Ferran Soriano and sporting director Hugo Viana, with one objective of the meeting being to negotiate a ‘preferential purchase option’ for Erling Haaland, giving Barcelona priority over rivals like Real Madrid should the striker ever move on.

Manchester City were in the Spanish capital for their Champions League round of 16 first-leg clash against Real Madrid, going on to suffer a crushing 3–0 defeat to Alvaro Arbeloa’s side, headlined by a spectacular 22-minute hat-trick from Federico Valverde.

While Erling Haaland struggled to make an impact against a firm Madrid defence, City’s only consolation came from Gianluigi Donnarumma, who saved a second-half penalty from Vinícius Júnior to prevent a four-goal deficit.

Rafaela Pimenta Breaks Silence on Barcelona Meeting Rumours

But now, speaking exclusively to El Chiringuito’s Marcos Benito, Rafaela Pimenta – the representative of Erling Haaland – insisted that while there is plenty of ‘respect and admiration’ for Barcelona, the Norway international striker is ‘very happy’ at Manchester City.

“I’ve often said we have a lot of respect and admiration for Barcelona.

“But there hasn’t been any contact whatsoever, either with Erling Haaland or with Barcelona’s management, regarding potential transfer targets,” Pimenta insisted in light of recent reports.

“He’s Very Happy”: Why Haaland’s 2034 Contract Ends the Exit Talk

She continued, “Also, because the player renewed his contract a few months ago, he’s very happy at Manchester City.

“Everything is going very well for him and we really have nothing to discuss about a transfer when everything is so good at Manchester City.”

Erling Haaland’s focus will now be fixed entirely on the high-stakes redemption mission at the Etihad Stadium next week, having been kept quiet by Antonio Rüdiger and Dean Huijsen on Wednesday night.

With Manchester City’s Champions League fate on the line, Haaland’s primary objective is to spearhead what would be one of the most significant European comebacks in the club’s history during the second leg on March 17.

Focus on West Ham and Wembley: Haaland’s Immediate Schedule

Beyond Europe, Haaland remains the focal point of a gruelling domestic title race and a looming cup final. City currently trail Arsenal by seven points in the Premier League, and with a critical trip to West Ham scheduled for this Saturday, there is no room for lingering on the disappointment of the Bernabéu.

Furthermore, with the Carabao Cup Final against the Gunners now just a matter of days away, Erling Haaland’s energy will need to be channeled toward securing his first piece of silverware of 2026 rather than any off-field speculation.

It is highly unlikely that Erling Haaland is giving any thought to his long-term future away from Manchester, having signed a historic, record-breaking contract extension in January 2025 that ties him to the club until the summer of 2034.

With eight years still remaining on that agreement and no active release clauses understood, Haaland is firmly entrenched in Manchester, focused on building a decade-long legacy rather than an immediate-term exit to La Liga.