Mino Raiola has issued an official response regarding claims surrounding his player Erling Braut Haaland and one of several candidates for the upcoming Barcelona presidential elections Emili Rousaud.
Given that Haaland is one of, if not the, hottest youngsters in world football, this claim understandably garnered attention. It was made by Josep Maria Minguella, the advisor to Rousaud and future sporting director should the presidential hopeful win the elections.
According to Minguella, the aforementioned candidate had laid the groundworks for the Haaland deal and would simply need a phone call to get this transfer across the line on his first day in office.
Given the Catalan giants' struggles and their need for a no.9 after the departure of Suarez, this claim would have likely earned Rousaud support. This is crucial as he, at one point, had been the vice-president under Josep Maria Bartomeu's unpopular reign and is thus seen as the unpopular option behind Victor Font and Joan Laporta.
Then there is the factor of whether this claim is true or not. Given that Mino Raiola, Haaland's representative, is an outspoken agent, it did not take him long to issue a response. The Italian was clear with his statement: Rousaud's claim is completely false.
"It's fake news," Raiola told Sport1 (as per Marca). "I've never spoken with any candidate about Haaland and I won't. When a new president is elected, they can call me."
It should be noted that Haaland has been linked with several clubs, ranging from Man City to Real Madrid. The Citizens are in search of the successor to the aging Aguero while Los Blancos are in need of a Galacticos to truly fill the void left by Cristiano Ronaldo. Whether Barcelona can beat those two European giants to the signing of the Norwegian sensation remains uncertain given the financial crisis at Camp Nou.
