Real Madrid News
Three reasons why Real Madrid could not sign Erling Haaland in the summer
The buildup to the summer transfer window was long and tedious for Real Madrid as they chased not one but several star signings. Of them, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland were the names that attracted all the headlines.
As it panned out, neither player ended up joining Los Blancos. While the former decided to sign an extension with PSG, Haaland opted for Manchester City as his next club ahead of Real Madrid.
According to reports from MARCA, the Norwegian international’s move to Spain had three main non-financial obstacles.
First, the player was not amused by the club’s pursuit of Mbappe. He believed that both players thrived in the same position and that the Frenchman’s arrival would complicate his situation.
The second reason was the presence of Karim Benzema. The French striker is an irreplaceable part of Carlo Ancelotti’s setup and Haaland felt he would not get enough playing time under his shadow.
Finally, the striker desired to follow in the footsteps of his father. Alf-Inge Haaland played for Manchester City as a right-back between 2000 and 2003 which was a big factor that influenced the youngster’s decision.
The English champions confirmed the Norweigan’s signing for five seasons at the beginning of June. It was reported that the club paid around €60 million for his transfer.
Haaland opened his goal tally for the Premier League side in the pre-season friendly against Bayern Munich. Needless to say, the spotlight will be on him throughout the season to see if he can keep up his goalscoring streak.
The cloud of uncertainty over Karim Benzema’s future has served as a major headache for the Real Madrid board, as they kickstart their team planning ahead of the new season.
Recent reports claim the Frenchman is strongly considering a move to Saudi Arabia, after receiving a lucrative €150 million offer from Al Ittihad. He was close to renewing his contract at Santiago Bernabeu not too long ago, but it appears the tables have turned lately.
Nevertheless, Real Madrid are yet to give up on Benzema and still harbour hopes of renewing his contract in the coming weeks, reports Alfredo Matilla.
The Spanish journalist suggests Real Madrid have not closed the file on Benzema. Coach Carlo Ancelotti has recently met the forward to clarify his future and it appears the club are set to do everything they can to keep hold of the player.
Benzema’s departure, after all, could put the club in a major dilemma, where they must either sign a top-class striker or settle for a low-cost alternative for the entirety of next season.
Harry Kane has been earmarked as the ideal replacement for Benzema. But his acquisition could potentially jeopardise Real Madrid’s bid to sign either Erling Haaland or Kylian Mbappe in 2024. The club have also faced difficulties negotiating with Daniel Levy, the Spurs chairman.
As far as the low-cost options are concerned, Real Madrid are interested in Roberto Firmino, who will become a free agent in the summer.
However, the Brazilian international is not the most productive striker around and his struggles in front of goal could put more pressure on players like Vinicius Junior next season.
Real Madrid, therefore, will hope to keep hold of Benzema’s services for another year. Unfortunately, though, the player has given a cold response so far and left training early, without speaking too much.
So it will be interesting to see whether or not the veteran striker opts to remain at Bernabeu for another year.
