Barcelona plan to hijack Real Madrid’s agreement with Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland – Paper Round

Real Madrid have reportedly raced into the lead in the battle to sign Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland. AS reveal that the Santiago Bernabeu is Haaland’s preferred destination despite interest from the likes of Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Manchester United. Real Madrid are confident that they are best positioned to sign the 21-year-old, so the only sticking point is whether he joins this summer or in 2023. AS state that the “definitive meeting” between Haaland and Dortmund will take place later this month. The German club and Real Madrid are both open to delaying the deal to 2023, but Haaland and his agent Mino Raiola want the move to happen this summer.

Paper Round’s view: It looks like Real Madrid are set to enter another Galactico era. Mbappe looks set to join the Liga side this summer and it would be simply jaw-dropping if Haaland followed the Frenchman to the Spanish capital. Real Madrid may want to delay the Haaland transfer to 2023 – mainly due to Mbappe’s impending move – but if they need to make the signing this summer, they surely won’t pass up the opportunity. The only problem from that would be: what happens to Karim Benzema? Paris Saint-Germain could be a potential destination for the French forward, who could end up replacing Mbappe for the Ligue 1 leaders.

However, Marca report that Real Madrid’s fierce rivals Barcelona have made it their priority to sign Haaland this summer. Club president Joan Laporta has constructed a “very clear plan” to make the Borussia Dortmund striker the face of Barcelona. Laporta’s plan consists around building a relationship with Haaland’s agent Mino Raiola and it is reported that this has led to Barca boss Xavi meeting with the Norwegian striker in Munich earlier this week. The Catalan club’s president has made it clear that Barcelona will do everything they can to stop Real Madrid from signing Haaland and Mbappe.

Paper Round’s view: It would be a complete disaster for Barcelona if Real Madrid signed both Haaland and Mbappe. These two players are the future of football, and it would just be a huge sign of Real Madrid’s power in the transfer market. It would be a nightmare situation for Barcelona as Los Blancos would be set to dominate La Liga for the next 10 years with two of the best players in the world. Barca are not the superpower that they might have been five years ago or so, but they are still a historic club. Haaland may be convinced by the opportunity to be the main man at the club and the lure of a long-term domestic rivalry with Mbappe if the Frenchman joins Real Madrid.

The futures of Chelsea trio Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta have been thrown into doubt following the news that Roman Abramovich is expected to sell the club. The focus has shifted to the future of Chelsea rather than contract renewals and the defensive trio are rapidly approaching the expiration date on their deals this summer. They are currently allowed to open negotiations talks with foreign clubs and all three have attracted attention from Spain. Christensen and Azpilicueta are linked with moves to Barcelona, who are looking for low-cost smart transfers, while Rudiger has admirers in the Spanish capital at Real Madrid.

Paper Round’s view: Obviously far bigger things are going on at Chelsea right now, but that does not mean that the day-to-day work stops. Surely there must be a team that deals with contract extensions who are worried about the situations of Azpilicueta, Rudiger and Christensen. They are all top-level defenders who possess the quality to win titles. Losing them all for free would be a disaster. It would cost a huge amount in transfer fees, contracts and scouting to replace all three, who could easily walk for free. Losing Rudiger would be the biggest problem. The Germany international has been one of the best defenders in world football since Thomas Tuchel’s arrival at Stamford Bridge last year.

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard is set to continue his ambitious work in the transfer market by targeting more star names in the summer window. The Midlands club signed Lucas Digne and Calum Chambers in January, while Philippe Coutinho and Robin Olsen both joined on loan. The Express reveal that Villa are ready to rival the likes of Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur for the free signing of AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie this summer. Gerrard is also keen to continue his pursuit of Brighton star Yves Bissouma and is even considering a shock reunion with former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez at Villa Park.

Paper Round’s view: Aston Villa mean business. They have struggled to find consistent form under Gerrard since his arrival in November, but you can see that the former Rangers boss is making progress on the pitch. The fact that he is a big name means he is able to recruit talent that may not have previously considered joining Villa. Coutinho is a prime example, and this could be replicated in the summer if another former Liverpool team-mate in Suarez joins too. Who would have thought that Villa would be competing with the likes of Barcelona and PSG to sign Kessie this summer? It’s a huge step forward.