Raiola makes a promise to Laporta about Haaland, and the ball is now in Barcelona’s court

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Earlier this week, Laporta claimed Barcelona had ‘come back’ and are now able to rival their rivals for the biggest names in football, after losing out to Lionel Messi for free last summer.

One of these big names is Haaland, who has attracted interest from impressive performances by Manchester City, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

Haaland’s release clause is valued at £64m, and his agent, Raiola, has named Barcelona as one of four clubs vying for the Norwegian’s signature.

Mino Raiola (left) reportedly promised Joan Laporta (right) Erling Haaland if Barcelona raised the money needed to sign him

According to Quattro, Raiola Laporta has promised his client that he will wear the Barcelona shirt next season if the club can raise capital to sign the striker.

Barcelona will make Haaland his first priority next summer, with the club keen to recruit the Norwegian to rival Real Madrid, who is expected to include Kylian Mbappe.

La Liga president Javier Tebas has claimed that Los Blancos could sign Mbappe and Haaland, but Cuatro points out that the 21-year-old would prefer to be the main figure at the club himself, and not play alongside the Frenchman.

Laporta has a strong relationship with Raiola, having worked with the agent to acquire Zlatan Ibrahimovic during his first term as Barcelona president.

Last month, Marca reported that Haaland’s deal – including transfer fees, a stipend on a five-year contract and agent fees – could be worth up to £400m.

Barcelona are currently trying to lower their wage bill as they are very close to violating the La Liga salary cap rule.

Ferran Torres, the club’s new £55m signing from Manchester City, has not been registered as a result, and the club hope stars such as Philippe Coutinho and Samuel Umtiti can help ease the pressure on their wage bill.

The latest development adds to speculation that Haaland is headed to La Liga, after the 21-year-old told the star-studded fans that he would “play here in Spain” while enjoying his winter break in Marbella.