Chelsea were dealt a major blow in their bid to land Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland.
Chelsea have been handed a boost by Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke after his comments suggested that Erling Haaland could leave the club in the summer transfer window. He is widely considered as a generational talent and has earned plaudits for his consistent performances.
Haaland has a contract with Dortmund that runs until 2024, but there is a release clause worth £68million in his deal, which is set to activate soon. That makes him an exciting prospect to sign, and Chelsea have declared their interest in him. They are not alone as Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are targeting to get his services to boost their attack.
Premier League holders Manchester City have shortlisted the 21-year-old as their priority target as they need a centre-forward in their ranks despite showing no weaknesses. However, all of the interested parties would have to wait till the end of the season to try their cards to sign him.
Speaking in an interview with German outlet Der Spiegel (h/t Football.London), Watzke tried to downplay Haaland’s potential exit in summer and questioned why would they go down that route. However, he did add that it is tough to keep the Norwegian beyond this season.
“Haaland will not leave in January. No way. Who accepts to sell top European striker during the winter break when they don’t have to? Next year? Of course, it will be difficult to keep him. Nevertheless we want to and we’ll try.”
It is still early to say we could genuinely land the Bundesliga star next summer. The 21-year-old is in high demand and several of the world’s best sides are after his signature. Whoever ends up landing him could be about to hit the jackpot for the next great striking sensation.
Haaland’s release clause comes into effect next summer. Landing the Norway international for a lower price would be an absolute steal, and we cannot let that opportunity pass. However, we may be forced against making g a move given the looming defensive crisis at Stamford Bridge.
Andreas Christensen, Cesar Azplicueta and Antonio Rudiger will see the end of their contracts next summer, meaning we could be forced to go big to reinforce the rearguard. Just how much we will be left with to battle for Haaland remains to be seen.
Even if signing the Norway striker is a once in a lifetime opportunity, the defence has been key to our success. We cannot afford to strengthen one aspect of the team while ignoring another. The team’s interest should be safeguarded at all costs, even if it means we have to pass on our chance to get him.
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