Barcelona chief Deco has hinted at a future swoop for Manchester City striker Erling Haaland.
The Norwegian striker has been in superb goalscoring form since arriving at the Etihad Stadium in 2022.
Haaland has netted a staggering 105 goals in 114 appearances across all competitions, helping City land a first Champions League title.
The striker has long been linked with a future move to Real Madrid but their summer move for Kylian Mbappe appears to have closed the door on a potential arrival for the 24-year-old.
But that could pave the way for a switch to their rivals Barcelona who view Haaland as the perfect replacement for 36-year-old striker Robert Lewandowski.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta is understood to have pinpointed Haaland as the club’s next high-profile signing before his term comes to an end in 2026.
The Catalan club appear to have got wind of reports linking Haaland with a Manchester City exit in the wake of Pep Guardiola’s potential departure this summer.
Haaland contract contains a £175m release clause however, the figure decreases with each passing year and City are hopeful the striker will pen a new deal.
But the lure of Barcelona could tempt Haaland into a move away from City and the La Liga club see him as the perfect player to fill Lewandowski’s boots.
“I think it’s very difficult to find a striker like Robert today,” Deco told Mundo Deportivo. “There are one or two of this level. Maybe Haaland or someone else. There are not so many of this level available.
“But we’re not going to be obsessed with looking for any strikers now because we’re going to focus first on what Robert can do. I surely think he’s happy to be here. He’s a winner and if we have an important season I think he’ll want to continue.”
The Poland international has been in sensational form this season having netted 19 goals in 17 games in all competitions.
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Lewandowski secured a free-transfer to Barcelona in 2022 and helped his side win the La Liga title at the first time of asking.
However, the former Bayern Munich striker has less than a year remaining on his contract but is expected to extend his deal for a further year.
Deco hinted that the club are focused solely on the players at the club’s disposal and Lewandowski in particular, who has fired Barca to the top of La Liga.
“It’s not a priority [searching for a new striker] because we have to focus on this season,” Deco said
“Of course we have to do the work of the future, but if we are working more on the future, we forget about the present.
“We have to think about what we have to do now and not what we have to do in the future because what happens this season can condition the future.
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“It is not enough for us to be alone thinking about the future.
“The work of the future is being done, it is being fulfilled. What I hope is that Lewandowski continues at the same level that he is showing.
“For me he is one of the best professionals I have seen in my life. It is not by chance that he is where he is and that he has scored all the goals he has scored or that he is at 36 years of age at his level.
“They are players who only reach where they are being high-level professionals and above the others. We are happy because he is connecting well with the team, he is scoring goals.”
