Raiola 'promises Barca chief Laporta that Haaland WILL move to the Nou Camp'

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has reportedly received word from Mino Raiola that if the cash-strapped club can raise the funds necessary, Erling Haaland will play for the Catalans next season.

Earlier this week, Laporta claimed that Barcelona are 'back' and are now able to rival their rivals for the biggest names in football, having lost Lionel Messi for free last summer.

One such big name is Haaland, whose impressive displays have attracted interest from Manchester City, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

Haaland's release clause is valued at £64million and his agent, Raiola, named Barca as one of the four clubs vying for the Norwegian hotshot's signature.

And according to Spanish outlet Cuatro, Raiola has promised Laporta that his client will wear the Barcelona shirt next season if the club can raise the capital to sign the striker.

Barcelona will make Haaland their No 1 priority next summer, with the club keen to recruit the Norwegian to rival Madrid, who are expected to land Kylian Mbappe.

LaLiga president Javier Tebas claimed that Los Blancos could sign both Mbappe and Haaland, but Cuatro suggests that the 21-year-old would prefer to be the main figure at a club himself, and not play alongside the Frenchman.

Laporta has a strong relationship with Raiola, having worked with the agent to land Zlatan Ibrahimovic during his first reign as Barcelona president.

Last month, Marca reported that a deal for Haaland - including transfer fee, a salary over a five-year contract and agents fees - could tally as much as £400m.

Barcelona are currently attempting to reduce their wage bill as they are running very close to breaching LaLiga's salary cap rule.

Ferran Torres, the club's new £55m signing from Manchester City, is not yet registered as a result and the club hope that offloading stars like Philippe Coutinho and Samuel Umtiti can help ease the strain on the wage bill.

The latest development adds to speculation that Haaland is heading to LaLiga, after the 21-year-old told star-struck fans that he will 'play here in Spain' while enjoying his winter break in Marbella.