Erling Haaland has left Barcelona red-faced with his blunt comments about the club’s financial situation following Lionel Messi’s departure from Camp Nou.

According to Jose Alvarez, a famous star in the baseball world on the El Chiringuito TV channel, Erling Haaland had a bitter response regarding Barcelona’s financial situation since Lionel Messi left the club.

During the wedding ceremony of his Manchester City teammate Aymeric Laporte, the Norwegian forward was asked about the possibility of joining Barcelona. Real Madrid is likely to sign Kylian Mbappe, and La Liga fans are eagerly awaiting a showdown between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the league.

“Barcelona, huh? How could they afford to sign me?” Erling Haaland jokingly replied with a hint of truth.

Barcelona’s financial difficulties are indeed real, as the club had to let Messi leave in the summer of 2021 due to their inability to afford his wages. Even after Messi’s departure, Barcelona still had to stretch their finances to pay him until 2025, as the 36-year-old striker agreed to allow the Catalan club to defer his salary over a four-year period.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona has registered 13 players for the 2023-24 La Liga season, including Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Jules Kounde, Eric Garcia, Christensen, Pedri, Gavi, Kessie, Frenkie de Jong, Ferran Torres, Ansu Fati, Robert Lewandowski, Ousmane Dembele, and Raphinha.

However, Barcelona has recently made two more signings in the summer of 2023, namely young forward Vitor Roque and center-back Inigo Martinez. Martinez left Athletic Bilbao to join Camp Nou on a free transfer, while Barcelona spent €40 million on Roque’s transfer fee.