Barcelona president Joan Laporta hopes to stay in charge of the club for another term and will push to sign Erling Haaland or one of his top-class Manchester City team-mates in order to do so, according to reports.
Laporta previously worked as Barcelona president between 2003 and 2010 and returned to the role in March 2021, when he picked up just over 54 per cent of the vote in the last election. During his election campaign, Laporta promised to do everything possible in order to keep club legend Lionel Messi, but he ultimately failed as Barca’s finances were simply too messy.
Laporta is due to remain in his position until 2026. The 61-year-old wants to run again, although he has come in for criticism amid his treatment of another club icon, manager Xavi.
The former midfielder initially decided to leave Barca at the end of last season, but Laporta and the rest of the Barca hierarchy convinced him to stay in late April.
But in a bizarre twist, the Blaugrana decided to sack Xavi a month later. Laporta STILL had concerns about Xavi’s ability as a coach, despite trying so hard and eventually managing to get him to continue. Laporta had also been angered by Xavi’s comments about Barca struggling to keep up with fierce rivals Real Madrid in the transfer market.
Due to the Xavi saga, Laporta is at risk of being ousted as Barca chief when the next election concludes. In order to prevent his damning exit from the Nou Camp, stunning reports in Spain state that Laporta is planning a huge transfer in either 2025 or 2026 to please everyone involved with the club.
Laporta has set his sights on Man City, who possess some of the most talented players in the world. The lawyer and politician wants to elevate Barca’s attack by capturing either Erling Haaland or Julian Alvarez.
Either player will be very expensive to sign, as they are both deadly goalscorers at the top level. But if Laporta starts to organise Barca’s finances now, he might be able to drum up enough money to get near to City’s asking price.
Barcelona transfers: Blockbuster Man City raid planned
Alvarez has been linked with a move away from City this summer, rather than in 2025 or 2026. The Argentine would like to become a guaranteed starter, which will be hard while Haaland is at City.
Barca have always liked Alvarez, ever since his spell at River Plate, though they could be beaten to the punch as both La Liga rivals Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid have been linked too.
Incredibly, Barca might actually have a better chance of landing Haaland, should they manage to sell several players first and gain enough funds. That is because the lethal Norwegian might consider leaving City if Pep Guardiola opts to depart the club in summer 2025.
It has been widely reported that Florentino Perez, Madrid’s president, wants to sign Haaland and partner him with fellow world-class striker Kylian Mbappe. But there have been concerns over whether Haaland and Mbappe would co-operate in the same attack, as they both want to be the main man.
Laporta will have to move heaven and earth to sign either Haaland or Alvarez, but it is clear he is incredibly ambitious and will do almost anything to try and stay in charge at the Nou Camp.