Joan Laporta hints Barcelona will not sign Erling Haaland

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has effectively ruled the Catalans out of the race to sign Erling Haaland.

Norwegian goal machine Haaland is set to trigger a Europe-wide race for his signature ahead of the 2022/23 season as he edges towards an exit from Borussia Dortmund.

Haaland’s contract includes a €75m release clause at Signal Iduna Park, which becomes active in June, with clubs in England, Spain and Germany tracking him.

However, the exit clause is expected to be just the start of a bidding war for the 21-year-old, with his eventual price set to rise beyond €100m.

Alongside a fee to Dortmund, the issue of his potential €30m per year salary, plus huge agent and signing on fees, has reduced Barcelona’s interest, due to their ongoing financial issues.

“We are not going to incorporate any player who alters the salary system”, as per reports from Diario Sport.

Laporta’s comments echo his previous remarks of learning from their monetary mistakes of the previous regime with talk of a Lionel Messi returning to Catalonia also unlikely this summer.