The Blaugrana boss is reluctant to be drawn on the identity of possible targets as his side are in no position to piece together plans at present
Ronald Koeman has offered a cryptic response when quizzed on Barcelona’s reported interest in Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland, with the Blaugrana boss admitting to having “ideas for the future” at Camp Nou.
The Liga giants were put to the sword in their latest outing by one of the most exciting forwards in world football, with Kylian Mbappe netting a hat-trick for Paris Saint-Germain in a heavyweight Champions League encounter.
His efforts were followed by a brace for Haaland a day later, with the 20-year-old Norwegian continuing to see his stock soar as leading clubs from across Europe mull over big-money bids for his services.
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What has been said?
When it was put to him that Haaland would figure prominently on any wish lists in Catalunya, Koeman told reporters ahead of a meeting with Cadiz on Sunday: “I have my ideas for the future of this club, but I have to wait [to see] who the president is going to be, [in order] to sit down and talk about the future.”
Could Barcelona afford Haaland?
It was recently revealed that the Spanish giants are €1.2 billion (£1.1bn/$1.5bn) in debt, which is making it difficult for recruitment plans to be drawn up.
There is, however, hope that supporters will return to stadiums in the near future, allowing greater revenue to be brought in and ambition shown in the transfer market.
Barca would, however, be far from the only ones interested in Haaland if a scramble for his signature was to be sparked.
Many are of the opinion that the Blaugrana need to be bringing in another predatory finisher, with questions still being asked of the decision to let Luis Suarez leave for Atletico Madrid in 2020.
What else has Koeman been saying?
The Dutchman has come in for criticism on the back of a 4-1 defeat to PSG in elite European competition, with Barca accused of becoming a fading force.
Koeman is not buying that, with there still a chance that his side could end the current campaign with major silverware to their name.
He has added: “It’s hard to say what we’re missing against the big teams.
“They [PSG] were very effective and that made a difference. I don’t think we can’t compete. We’ve been close, we’ve had our chances. I don’t see one team much better than another. We can beat anyone, but we have to prove it in every match, and even more so if we don’t have all our players.
“It doesn’t bother me that there are harsh comments about us. It’s our job. Mine is to prepare the team for every game.
“We’ve talked and we’ll try to get better. We have given encouragement [to the players] and we want them to feel pride in being Barca players. We have to accept criticism and show that we can win things.”
Further reading
- Man City deny making offer for Messi
- Messi might be thinking about joining PSG – Rivaldo
- Mbappe-inspired PSG show why Messi wanted to quit
