Chelsea held talks with Erling Haaland’s representative for his move to Stamford Bridge as they plan to have him for a long term due to 21-year-old cemented his place as one of the most sought-after strikers in 2021.
According to a report from The Evening Standard, Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland is a longstanding primary target for Chelsea. However, it remains to be seen whether Thomas Tuchel’s side can come to an agreement with the Bundesliga side for the talented striker.
The Blues became the Champions of Europe in May after they defeated Manchester City in the final at Estadio do Dragao. N’Golo Kante gave a standout performance while 21-year-old Kai Havertz scored a goal that ultimately led them to a 1-0 victory, thus they claimed their second European Cup.
And now the London side is keen to mount a serious Premier League title challenge next season, and for helping them achieve this goal, they want to bring Erling Haaland to Stamford Bridge in the summer.
However, the German club is reportedly asking a huge fee for the transfer of their star footballer. As per sports journalist Duncan Castles (who revealed it on The Transfer Window Podcast), Dortmund are demanding around £154.5 million to let their player leave the club.
Belgian journalist Kristof Terreur told The Football Terrace that Chelsea have held discussions with the representatives of the 20-year-old. However, he conceded that the striker’s future is difficult to predict.
He said, “I know that there have been talks with Haaland’s people before, but Haaland is a difficult one to predict too. Definitely since Dortmund qualified for the Champions League, you feel that now they have an extra reason to keep him.”
Erling Haland recently said that he hasn’t yet decided about his Borussia Dortmund future, with several big European clubs interested to secure his services.
Erling Haaland’s stocks have risen enormously in recent years and currently he is one of the hottest properties in world football. He enjoyed a spectacular 2020-21 season in Germany, with the 20-year-old notching an incredible 41 goals in 41 matches across all competitions. It is said that his performances have attracted the attention of clubs like Chelsea, Barcelona, Manchester City and Real Madrid who all want to sign him.
The striker has a release clause of £75 million which can only be valid starting next summer. And following Dortmund’s Champions League qualification, they are insisting their player won’t go anywhere in the summer transfer window.
Haaland, who was away on international duty with Norway, conceded earlier this week that he hasn’t made up his mind about his future at Die Borussen.
He said: “I have not taken a position on that (his future). After this international break I will go on vacation, and then I will report for pre-season.“
He added. “I am a simple guy, when I like something I just want to have more.
“Like I have said before, when I score a goal I always chase the next goal. I have big dreams!
“I just won my first major trophy and it was a great feeling so I want to win trophies.”
Thomas Tuchel’s side were also linked with a move for Romelu Lukaku, but the Belgian has said that he is staying at Inter Milan.
Career
Erling Haaland was five when he joined the academy of his hometown club Bryne FK. He played for the reserve team of the Norwegian side and impressed them with his performances. After the sacking of Gaute Larsen, the talented footballer received his first start under the caretaker manager Alf Ingve Berntsen in the game against Ranheim in May 2016. Erling made 16 appearances across all competitions at Bryne.
Molde FK
The talented striker joined Molde FK in February 2017 to play under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. He earned his debut for the Norwegian side in April against Volda TI, with the 20-year-old also scoring a goal in the game that saw his side win by 3-2 scoreline. He also grabbed the headlines on his Eliteserien debut in June 2017 when he came out after the interval as a substitute and popped up with the winner against Sarpsborg 08. Erling clocked up 26 appearances across all competitions during the 2017-18 season for the club, scoring 12 goals and creating four assists in the process (stats from Transfermarkt).
The forward won the Eliteserien Breakthrough of the Year award for his performances in the 2018 Eliteserien. He also earned the distinction of being the club’s top goalscorer that season.
Red Bull Salzburg
His incredible performances attracted the attention of Austrian Bundesliga champions Red Bull Salzburg who announced that the player would join the club in January 2019.
His reputation grew enormously at the Red Bull Arena. He struck his first hat-trick for the club in July 2019 against SC-ESV Parndorf, and in August, he scored another three goals in the Austrian Bundesliga against Wolfsberger AC. He made 16 league appearances for the Red Bulls, earning 17 goals to his name.
Borussia Dortmund
Erling Haaland was a reported target of Manchester United and Juventus, but he ended up at Borussia Dortmund who confirmed his signing in December 2019 in a deal worth £17.1 million. He created headlines in Germany by scoring a hat-trick on his debut for the club at FC Augsburg in January 2020.
Since his arrival at the Westfalenstadion, the 20-year-old has clocked up 59 appearances across all competitions for Dortmund, scoring 57 goals and creating 15 assists in the process (stats from Transfermarkt). Of these strikes, 12 have come in the Champions League while 40 of them have come in the Bundesliga.
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