Barcelona midfielder Pedri has revealed he would love to bring Manchester City goalmachine Erling Haaland to Catalonia. The Spaniard also believes the Norwegian would be the perfect successor to Barca’s current first-choice center-forward Robert Lewandowski.
Barcelona Ace Pedri Lavishes Praise On “Cyborg” Erling Haaland
Manchester City No. 9, Haaland is widely hailed as the best center-forward in the world. Since joining City from Borussia Dortmund in July 2022, Haaland has shattered one goalscoring record after another, propelling the Premier League outfit to their first-ever Treble in his debut campaign. The ex-Molde striker finished 2023 with 44 goals in 54 games for Manchester City — no player scored more goals than him in club soccer across the top 15 European leagues.
Speaking with Ibai Llanos on Twitch, Pedri heaped praise on Haaland, picking him as the only player he would like to bring to the Camp Nou. The 21-year-old central midfielder said (via GOAL):
“I would sign [Lionel] Messi if he were 19 or 22 years old, but currently I would sign Haaland. He is a cyborg and scores a lot of goals. Lewandowski is not going to last until he is 60.”
Robert Lewandowski Has Failed To Live Up To Expectations This Season
At 35, Barcelona ace Lewandowski is in the twilight of his career. The former Bayern Munich man has looked out of sorts in front of goal this season, frequently getting outfoxed by defenders and failing to put away decent chances. He has featured in 21 games for the Blaugrana in all competitions, scoring just nine times. His performances in the UEFA Champions League have been especially disappointing, with him scoring just once in five games.
Already planning for the future, Barcelona have added Brazilian ace Vitor Roque to their roster. They had finalized the deal in the summer transfer window itself, but many expected them to keep Roque at Athletico-PR until June 2024. However, with Lewandowski struggling to pull his weight, they have incorporated the 18-year-old in January itself.
If the €40 million ($43.78 million) attacker manages to make the desired impact, Lewandowski could lose prominence at Barcelona. Considering the economic state of the club, they might be reluctant to keep an underperforming high-ticket asset on their payroll.
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