LALIGA
Barça president Laporta cools on Haaland move
Barcelona president Joan Laporta indicated his club may not be among the suitors for Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland this summer.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has cooled speculation the club will be battling to sign Erling Haaland at the end of the season.
The Blaugrana have been frequently linked with a move for the Borussia Dortmund striker, with the Norway international a player in great demand.
But with Barcelona still building up their financial stability, Laporta has played down talk of a deal for Haaland, given the hefty cost any such signing would necessitate.
"Even if we had the best economic situation, there are operations we would not do," Laporta told Eport3.
He was asked whether the Norwegian flag would be flying for Haaland at Camp Nou next season, as it was for Caroline Graham Hansen and Ingrid Engen when Barcelona's women's team won their domestic league title, sealing it with a 5-0 victory over Real Madrid on Sunday.
"[Mateu] Alemany, Jordi [Cruyff] and the technical secretary are working on improving the team. We want to carry out operations, but some are difficult," Laporta added.
"We have to save ourselves. We have improved the situation, but we have to complete the recovery of the economic situation. We won't do deals that could put the institution at risk."
Barcelona have faced a difficult year when it has come to balancing the books, being forced to let captain Lionel Messi depart due to financial constraints and then facing delays when registering new recruits.
On the field, however, they have turned a corner from their early-season woes under Ronald Koeman, with new head coach Xavi helping to steer them back into the thick of a top-four battle in LaLiga.
Haaland, meanwhile, has been reported to be closing in on a move to Premier League champions Manchester City, with the Leeds-born star poised for a return to the country of his birth.