Borussia Dortmund's prolific striker Erling Haaland has turned down offers from Barcelona and Real Madrid and will continue his career at Manchester City, as per the British media. Barca president Joan Laporta had hoped to add the young goalscorer to the ranks, primarily due to the close relationship with his agent Mino Raiola.
As a result, according to the Catalan daily newspaper Sport, the Blaugrana have already started considering other options, and they have identified Robert Lewandowski, whose contract with Bayern expires next summer, as the ideal replacement. The Polish veteran has been one of the best players in his position in recent years in Europe, but his future in the Bundesliga is yet to determined.
There has been no agreement on a new contract and the 33-year-old ace has yet to enter negotiations with the defending Bundesliga winners. It is said that the Catalan side would like to use the situation and bring in a first-class goal scorer who will also serve as a mentor for the younger players in the team.
Barcelona to choose between Lewandowski and Salah
In addition, another realistic option would be Mohamed Salah, who has just rejected Liverpool's latest contract renewal offer. Fabrizio Romano, the Italian transfer analyst, claims that despite the player's will to stay at Anfield, the club's most recent offer has been declined and there have been no more conversations since December.
That is where Barcelona plan to intervene and step up the chase to lure the forward in La Liga. Another Catalan publication Muno Deportivo say that Joan Laporta sees Salah as the ideal successor to Lionel Messi.
In addition, he reportedly believes the Egyptian international could play at the top level for another four to five seasons, so as to lead the club back to the top of Europe. The move would make perfect sense for the Camp Nou side as the 29-year-old winger would also fill in the hole that Ousmane Dembele will leave after his contract runs out in June 2022.
