The transfer race for in-demand striker Erling Haaland has been blown wide open with Chelsea concerned over a deal and Real Madrid’s latest stance.
Last month, the Norwegian striker claimed that Borussia Dortmund were pushing him into making a decision on his future amid speculation that he may be on the move this summer.
Barcelona in December held a meeting with the player’s agent Mino Raiola while Dortmund recently confirmed that Real Madrid are among those who are interested in signing the Norwegian.
The Norwegian fuelled speculation of a transfer to La Liga in January as he confirmed that he would like to play in Spain during his career.
Barca president Joan Laporta’s reported confidence on signing the striker has sparked off what has been described as a ‘war’ between the club and El Clasico rivals Madrid.
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A host of top European clubs will be monitoring the Norwegian’s situation including Manchester United and Manchester City, while German champions Bayern Munich will also be keeping tabs on his future.
A report from the Evening Standard claims that Chelsea – one of the potential frontrunners in any deal – have put the brakes on any interest.
There is said to be concern from some at Stamford Bridge that Haaland may not adapt to the Premier League nor have the same impact that he has enjoyed in the Bundesliga.
That comes less than a year after the club broke their transfer record to land Romelu Lukaku in a £97.5million deal – with the Belgian failing to hit top form this campaign.
In Spain, El Chiringuito host Josep Pedrerol has claimed that Haaland is not in Madrid’s plans right now – with their attempts set to centre on landing striker Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain.
Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has recently poured cold water on suggestions that Haaland has been given an ultimatum over his future by the club and insisted there were no issues with the striker’s comments.
The Dortmund CEO said: "Basically, that wasn't a problem.
"Erling was obviously a bit bothered by that, but we can't influence that. We told him that too.
"The fact that one or the other media outlet writes that Dortmund would give him an ultimatum - it said somewhere up until February last week - which is total bulls***.
"It's sometimes difficult for a player who now speaks German well but doesn't understand everything yet to understand it, did an official say that or is it pure speculation by the media.
"We have now reached a point where 98 percent of the media is based on speculation, and it ended up being that. There is no problem at all between us.”
There is little question over the 22-year-old’s world class status, as he has netted 78 goals in just 77 appearances for Dortmund since his switch from Red Bull Salzburg two years ago.
Haaland has continued to break multiple goal scoring records, netting 27 goals in 25 matches across his games in European competitions.
In the 2020–21 campaign, Haaland was integral in Dortmund's DFB-Pokal win, won the Bundesliga Player of the Season award and finished as the top scorer of the Champions League.
Speculation over the striker’s future is only likely to intensify in the weeks and months ahead as we edge towards the summer transfer window.
