Speaking on the podcast "The Good, The Bad & The Football", Scholes was asked where he expected Haaland to go if Manchester City were relegated from the Premier League over their financial charges. He picked Barcelona as a possible home for the Norwegian striker.
As reported by the Catalan newspaper "Sport", Scholes said: "Barcelona, even though he looks like a player who would suit Real Madrid, and I can completely imagine him in the shirt of the Royal Club, but he would move to Barcelona".
The chatter over the City striker's future comes as the English club fight their case over alleged financial breaches. City have appealed the decision, with sporting penalties on the table that could stretch as far as administrative relegation. Such a scenario could reshape the futures of several of the team's biggest names.
Haaland, though, is locked into a long-term deal at the Etihad that runs until June 2034. He renewed in January 2025 for ten seasons, a clear signal of the club's intent to keep their talismanic striker for as long as possible.
His contract carries no release clauses or set-fee exit provisions. Even so, "Sport" suggested a heavy sanction against Manchester City could blow open a range of scenarios around the player's future.
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Nicky Butt, Scholes' former Manchester United teammate, turned to the potential influence of Haaland's father, Alf-Inge, in shaping his son's path. He reckons the family may already be braced for whatever comes next in the striker's career.
"I would be surprised if his father hadn't already got something lined up for him somewhere," Butt said, hinting at future options should Haaland be forced out of Manchester City.
Butt also pointed to the father's ever-present shadow over his son's career: "He's everywhere, he even appears sometimes near the penalty area half the time, watching his son and trying to get all the limelight." The speculation rolls on, all of it hanging on how City's crisis unfolds in the coming months.
Haaland arrived at Manchester City in the summer of 2022 from Borussia Dortmund and hit the ground running. He scored 52 goals in his debut season, 36 of them in the Premier League, scooping the Golden Boot. His tally for the club now stands at 176 across all competitions.
Nine trophies have followed with City, headlined by the Champions League, two Premier League titles and two FA Cups. He was one of the standout figures of the historic treble in 2022-2023.