La Liga president Javier Tebas has dismissed any plans FC Barcelona may have to sign next generation superstars Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe.
Techincally speaking, both players could be available in 2024 despite recently signing contracts with Manchester City and Paris Saint Germain respectively.
Haaland's deal at the Etihad is said to contain a special €200mn ($220mn) release clause which any club outside of the Premier PINC League can activate in said year, and Mbappe will also become a free agent that summer according to various reports after snubbing Real Madrid in 2022 and signing an extension with PSG.
Appearing on popular Spanish football television program El Chiringuito this week, however, Tebas delivered FC Barcelona another hammer blow by claiming that there is only one club that either man could head to.
"Hopefully it will be like this," he said, when asked about the possibility of the forwards playing in La Liga one day. "But these two players could only be at Real Madrid, because the economic situation of FC Barcelona would not allow them to access this type of player."
"Neither this season nor the next. I see it as impossible," Tebas added.
Tebas' remarks should come as no surprise given he is currently at war with Barca and their president Joan Laporta over the registration of midfield prodigy Gavi, plus a potential European Super League. Tebas attempted to block Gavi's registration, and will appeal after a court ruled in the Catalans' favor on the matter.
He has also warned that Barca are currently exceeding their 2023/2024 wage bill limits under La Liga rules by the same amount (€200mn/$220mn) that it would take to see Haaland don Blaugrana, and stood in the way of Lionel Messi's attempted 2021 contract renovation that saw their greatest ever player walk to Paris Saint Germain on a free transfer.
Despite the clear anti-Barca stance from known Madrid fan Tebas, however, Haaland's agent Rafaela Pimenta gave hope to Culers that Haaland will one day be their striker through comments made to AS in a wide-ranging interview on Wednesday.
"I always say that Laporta can't ask me for anything in football, it's not fair, because he knows I'm going to say yes," the Brazilian lawyer, who has inherited late super-agent Mino Raiola's client base, claimed.