Barcelona vs. Real Madrid: The final sprint starts for Erling Haaland

Erling Haaland's future is being decided now. And the player himself is on top of the situation. Because it's his future. And two teams, above all, have the best chance of signing the striker that all of Europe would want. Real Madrid and Barcelona. There are other clubs, in the Premier League especially, but the Norway international, who's planning his future with his agent Mino Raiola, believes LaLiga is the competition that offers the best chance of growth. From there, the battle is on.

The final sprint for Haaland has begun. Any movement in the coming weeks could be decisive. Barça want him, president Joan Laporta's spoken with Raiola several times, and Dortmund are pushing for the player to make a decision on his future so that they can plan accordingly as well. The player is weighing up his options, although there have already been various meetings between his camp and the club who currently pay his salary to find out intentions. Dortmund's position is clear, according to the German press, because a 75 million release clause kicks in this summer. Therefore, they just need to know if he's staying or leaving.

Beyond the price, the club want to know where he could go to negotiate the conditions of his departure. According to reports in Germany, BVB are pushing for an answer as soon as possible. They know they can't retain him, but they do need to be in the loop. A decision is imminent and cannot be delayed nay longer. Barça are pending talks between the player and the Bundesliga club.

Haaland must make a decision and he's on it. Hald of Europe is waiting to see what he decides. Barça, of course, are there. And they don't want to be a mere spectator. They want to be one of the main players. The dates are in place. Dortmund want Haaland to explain where he's doing, although the actual deadline is March. There are many candidates to sign him, but some are dropping out, as is the case with Bayern Munich and Juventus. Not because both clubs are unwilling to meet the financial side of the deal, but because the player's priority is a move to Spain, where he feels he will be best placed to kick on to the next level.

The danger of Madrid

Barça are aware of Florentino Perez's interest in taking Haaland to Real Madrid, beyond his desire to sign Kylian Mbappe. They have a much bigger spending cap than BArça and can dream of a new generation of 'Galacticos.' Barça, meanwhile, will play their cards to try and pull off an expensive operation. As well as bringing in money, they need to move on players. Without Messi and Griezmann, two players earning big wages, there is at least optimism. In addition, Haaland knows that at Barça he would be the franchise player. It all depends on his desire and, beyond money, how he sees his career in the coming years.