President demands £85m for reported West Ham target, says Barcelona want him

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The phrase ‘like father, like son’ springs to mind.

While Henrik Larsson will go down as one of the most devastating goalscorers of the early 2000s, striking in the green and white of Celtic at a rate that would make even Robert Lewandowski blush, his 23-year-old son is starting to display a similarly insatiable appetite for putting the ball in the back of the net.

In 24 matches for Russian giants Spartak Moscow this season, Jordan Larsson has scored 12 times – that one-in-two record catching the eye of clubs sitting a few rungs higher up the footballing ladder.

On Thursday, Goal reported West Ham United have been impressed by the one-time Barcelona prospect.

And suggestions Borussia Dortmund have identified Larsson Jr as a potential replacement for the irrepressible Erling Haaland should tell you a lot about the regard in which the five-time Sweden international is held.

“He has been really good this season,” Hoops legend Henrik told Fotboll Direkt in late March when asked about his son’s rapid progress in the Russian capital.

“He’s scored many goals and won many points. He has played well. I have seen pretty much every match and am incredibly proud and incredibly happy with what he has achieved.

“(The challenge) is to continue like that.”

For a striker whose early years in the game were littered with accusations of nepotism, particularly when Henrik promoted Jordan to the first team during his ill-fated spell as manager of Helsingborg, it’s impossible not to be impressed by the way the youngster has bounced back, stepping out of his father’s lengthy shadow.

Spartak president Leonid Fedun even recently claimed Larsson Jr had been lined up to follow in his father’s footsteps at Camp Nou – although the Russian Premiership powerhouses aren’t going to let their star forward go without a fight.

“We know Jordan Larsson is a big target for Barcelona – but he is also a very important player for us,” Fedun said, via The Sun.

“Let Barcelona give us €100 million (£85 million) to complete the transfer.”

Consider that a warning – not only to Barcelona but also West Ham, Dortmund and every single one of his suitors.