Barcelona 'unwilling to meet £85m Erling Haaland price tag'

Barcelona could reportedly pull out of the race to sign Erling Haaland as they are unwilling to meet Red Bull Salzburg's £85m valuation of the in-form forward.

The 19-year-old, who has recently been linked with the likes of Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus, has scored 26 times in 18 appearances for Salzburg this season.

Last week, it was claimed that Barca had joined the hunt for the teenager as they consider replacements for Luis Suarez in the final third of the field.

However, according to ESPN, while the Spanish champions admire Haaland, they are not prepared to meet Salzburg's £85m price tag for a player who has a contract in Austria until June 2023.

The report claims that the Catalan outfit are therefore unlikely to sign the Norway international unless his asking price is dropped considerably ahead of next summer's transfer window.

Haaland has managed 15 goals in 12 league appearances this season, while the attacker has also struck seven times in four Champions League outings.