Real Madrid Transfer News Roundup: Los Blancos favourites to sign Erling Haaland; club locked in battle with PSG for Jonathan Clauss, and more - 6 March 2022

Real Madrid have gone eight points clear atop the La Liga standings with a 4-1 comeback win over Real Sociedad on Saturday.

Goals from Eduardo Camavinga, Luka Modric, Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio helped Carlo Ancelotti's men take all three points ahead of the Champions League Round of 16 second-leg meeting with PSG in midweek.

Meanwhile, Jan Aage Fjortoft has named Los Blancos among the frontrunners for Erling Haaland's signature. Elsewhere, the La Liga giants are locked in a battle with PSG for Jonathan Claus.

🏁 FT: @realmadriden 4-1 @RealSociedadEN
⚽ @Camavinga 40', @lukamodric10 43', @Benzema 76' (p), @marcoasensio10 79'; Oyarzabal 09' (p)
#Emirates | #RealSociedadRealMadrid https://t.co/OYLRmGDolZ

On that note, here's a look at the key Real Madrid transfer stories as on 6th March 2022:

Real Madrid among favourites to sign Erling Haaland

Erling Haaland could be playing at the Santiago Bernabeu next season.

Former Middlesbrough forward Jan Aage Fjortoft believes Real Madrid are among the two frontrunners in the race to sign Erling Haaland. The Norwegian is expected to leave Borussia Dortmund this summer. La Liga giants Madrid are plotting to take the 21-year-old to the Santiago Bernabeu.

Haaland has emerged as one of the finest strikers in world football at the moment. His exploits with Dortmund have earned him admirers across Europe. The Norwegian reportedly has a clause in his contract that would allow him to leave on a cut-price deal this summer. The 21-year-old is expected to ignite a bidding war for his services this summer.

Don’t underestimate the detailed job Team Haaland now are doing to find out where Erling Haaland is playing next season.
If he leaves Dortmund it’s more down to facts than emotions.
Spain and England most likely with the usual suspects in front. Don’t buy some clubs’ spin though

However, Fjortoft has said that Los Blancos and Manchester City are the two leading candidates for Haaland's signature. Speaking to ESPN, he said that it has been an intense race for Haaland so far, and the final decision could be taken by the 21-year-old.

“I got a feeling that Real Madrid will be ahead of Barcelona. And at Manchester City, there’s already a free seat, as they say in Formula 1. What I do know about this process is that it’s very much down to little details and in the end, Erling will have to make a decision,” said Fjortoft.

The former player continued:

“As we near the end of this negotiation, it’s down to two clubs, and those are Real Madrid and Manchester City. This Barcelona thing, I don’t know if there will be a spin in the end, but at this moment, I think it is down to those two clubs."

Haaland has scored 80 times in 79 games for BvB since arriving at the club in January 2020. He has netted 23 times this season, and recently bagged his 50th Bundesliga goal in only his 50th game in the competition.

Los Blancos locked in battle with PSG for Jonathan Clauss

Jonathan Clauss has been in breathtaking form this season.

Real Madrid are locked in a battle with PSG for Jonathan Clauss, according to The Hard Tackle via Fichajes.

The Lens right-back has been one of the best in his position in the league this season. The Frenchman has been an omnipresent in the backline for the Ligue 1 side since arriving in 2020.

The 29-year-old has registered four goals and nine assists in 26 games in the league this campaign. That's the most goal contributions in Europe's top five leagues this season.

Clauss' exploits have earned him admirers at the Santiago Bernabeu. Los Blancos believe Clauss could be a fabulous backup for Dani Carvajal. However, the Parisians also have their eyes on the Frenchman, and are unwilling to surrender without a fight. Clauss could be available for around €10 million.

Carlo Ancelotti pleased with performance against Real Sociedad

Carlo Ancelotti has heaped praise on his team for their performance against Real Sociedad on Saturday. Madrid went a goal down early in the game, but scripted a comeback to seal all three points.

Speaking after the game, Ancelotti said that the victory gave his team a much-needed boost ahead of Wednesday's Champions League clash against PSG.

“The plan was to press La Real high up, and it worked out well. The players put in a huge physical effort, and if we play like that on Wednesday, we will increase our chances of winning the tie. It was our best game so far this season,” said Ancelotti.

The Los Blancos manager added:

“It was important because it's allowed us to increase our lead to eight points,;we enjoyed ourselves and the team understood just how important this game was. It will give us a lot of hope for Wednesday. Playing with that kind of intensity is what the fans love to see, and we will need it again on Wednesday. Can we repeat the performance? Of course we can."

Madrid's attention now turns to their Champions League Round of 16 tie with PSG. They trail the Ligue 1 giants 1-0 from the first leg three weeks ago.