Erling Haaland’s father claims Barcelona didn’t make their top four clubs. See where he placed Barcelona

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Erling Haaland was linked with a move to nearly all the top clubs in Europe, but it was Manchester City that eventually won the race for his signature.

Alf-Inge, Erling Haaland’s father, has explained how he and the former Borussia Dortmund striker chose to sign for Manchester City ahead of other clubs.

According to Alf-Inge, the pair devised a points system based on criteria, such as whether the club needed to buy a No 9, their playing style, their history and stadium capacity. Haaland would eventually leave Borussia Dortmund for City.

Alf-Inge claims Barcelona were ranked outside their top four – with Man City their main choice, followed by Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and then PSG.

“On our list, I think City is the best team,” Alfie told The Big Decision Haaland documentary.

“[Bayern] Munich is number two. We have Real Madrid as number three, Paris Saint-Germain as number four.

“We also have some English teams other than City who are quite good . . . Liverpool and Chelsea. Also, there is Barcelona. They are sort of in the same row.”

Alfie continued: “I think it was one point separating the top two with the last calculations.

“One of the criteria is about whether the club needs a No 9. City is ten [out of ten] in that respect. Bayern Munich gets one point for that, they don’t need a No 9.

“They have their best player as a No 9, but if he [Lewandowski] goes, then they have no one else. It would have been quite controversial to go to Munich but when we go through it, it’s one of the best teams. Real Madrid are a five or six [out of ten]. They have [Karim] Benzema, and will they get Mbappe?”

Barcelona got Lewandowski for a good price during the summer transfer window, and the 34-year-old striker has been in sensational form.