'He's accepted defeat' - Barcelona president sent Erling Haaland message amid Man City developments

Manchester City fans are all saying the same thing after Barcelona appeared to rule themselves out of the race to sign Erling Haaland.

It was recently reported that a deal to bring Haaland to the Etihad was in place. MEN Sport understands that City have met with the 21-year-old's representatives and that some within his camp are desperate for him to move to Barcelona or Real Madrid.

City's official line is that any news of a deal being set with Haaland is premature. The Borussia Dortmund striker has strong links with the Blues after his father, Alf-Inge, played for the club.

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Joan Laporta, president of Barcelona, was asked about the possibility of Haaland arriving at Camp Nou. In response, Laporta said: "Haaland? Even if we had the best economic situation, there are operations that we would not do."

This seemingly now leaves just Real Madrid standing between City and Haaland. It is believed that Real will be working hard to bring Kylian Mbappe to the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer and so their finances may not be able to support a deal for the Norwegian as well. With that in mind, City fans have been sharing their delight that Barcelona appear to be leaving the race.

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