Paul Scholes has put Barcelona in the frame as Erling Haaland's next club if Manchester City are relegated. He made the prediction on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, but the hard facts around Haaland are still pointing the other way. He is under contract at City until June 2034 after signing a 10-year extension in January 2025.
Scholes's podcast prediction
Scholes was not subtle about where he thinks Haaland would land. "Barcelona. He looks like a Real Madrid player, I can picture him perfectly in a Madrid shirt, but he'll go to Barcelona," he said.
The line is opinion, not movement. City lodged an appeal on October 1 after the independent commission found the club guilty of serious financial rule breaches in September, so the relegation scenario remains unresolved. That leaves Scholes talking about a possible destination, not an active transfer route.
Why the move remains hypothetical
The speculation also sits against Haaland's current output. He has scored 9 goals in 10 Premier League appearances for City in 2026, and 5 goals in 3 Champions League appearances in the same year.
Those numbers do not suggest a striker drifting away from the team. He also scored twice in City's 3-2 win over Aston Villa on October 17, 2026, then scored once in the 3-2 win at RB Leipzig on November 4, 2026. Whatever noise is building around Barcelona, City still have a forward producing at his usual level.
The real point is simpler. Until City's appeal is resolved, and with Haaland tied down until June 2034, this is a what-if story rather than a transfer chase.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →
