Barca may baulk at Red Bull youngster’s price tag

Barcelona are said to be keen on Red Bull Salzburg striker Erling Haaland but feel the 100million euros price being quoted is unrealistic. Haaland, 19, has been scoring goals for fun for the Austrian outfit this season, with five hat-tricks already under his belt seeing him notch 26 in 18 appearances in all competitions.
If critics might suggest that the Austrian Bundesliga is not the most challenging league in the world, Haaland has also shone in the Champions League, bagging seven goals from four outings in this season’s elite club competition.
A number of Premier League sides, as well as Real Madrid and Juventus, have also been linked with him, while Manchester City are said to have invited his father, Alfe-Inge, a former City star in his playing days, to the Etihad Stadium to try and test the water over a possible transfer.
Barca have noted his goalscoring exploits but sources have reportedly told ESPN that the huge sums quoted for his signature are “disproportionate” and “not in line with his market value”.
Haaland, who is under contract with Salzburg until 2023 and does not have a release clause in his deal, has twice rejected moves away for more money in favour of staying put to see more game time.
The lure of one of the heavyweights might be too much to ignore and the Catalans will hope they can broker a realistic deal and beat off the threat of the Premier League champions. That will not be easy given the youngster’s family connections to City.