Barcelona left fuming after Haaland meeting leaks

Over the past several days, various media outlets have been picking up the story about a meeting that took place between FC Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez and Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland, and the club isn't happy about the leak.

The Norwegian attacker's release clause will be activated this summer, and he is one of the prime transfer targets of the Catalan giants. However, he is also strongly being linked to Real Madrid and several clubs in the Premier League.

The battle for Haaland's signature is set to be intense, which is why Barcelona officials are fuming about how details of their actions have been leaked to the press. They are reportedly going for a two-pronged approach, with club president Joan Laporta strengthening ties with super agent Mino Raiola. Meanwhile, Xavi is personally connecting with the player himself.

Barcelona's marketing vice president Juli Guiu told RAC1 that he isn't happy by how all this information has come out. "There are some things that should be handled with discretion, but these kinds of things happen at this club," he said, as quoted by Marca.

The Catalan giants know that their current financial standing will do little to help them get ahead of some of Europe's richest clubs, who are also interested in the Norwegian. As such, they are going for a more personal approach and they are unhappy about the fact that all this has now been played out for the world to see.

Media outlets caught wind of Laporta's recent meeting with Raiola in Monaco, and Xavi has reportedly flown to Munich to speak with Haaland face-to-face earlier this week. Meanwhile, there are conflicting reports about whether or not Jordi Cruyff was present in the meeting between the manager and the player in Germany.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is likely to be watching the developments carefully, just like the rest of the football world. Barcelona will do anything to snatch the player away from their biggest rivals, but it won't help if every move is being broadcasted to the public.