Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland is the hottest property in football right now, and has a long list of admirers across Europe including Manchester City, Manchester United and Real Madrid
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Erling Haaland: All you need to know about striker linked with big move
Borussia Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke has dismissed recent claims that the Bundesliga giants’ financial situation might force them to cash in on star striker Erling Haaland next summer.
The yellow and black side are said to need to raise cash to pay to investors as they are listed on the stock exchange.
But Watzke has labelled such rumours as “bulls***”, and stressed it would be their choice as to whether or not they choose to accept any approaches for the Norwegian.
“It has not yet been decided whether it will really leave in the summer,” he told Sport 1.
“We’ll just have a look. I heard someone say: ‘They have to sell Haaland because they are listed on the stock exchange.’ This is all bulls***.
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“The decision whether someone is sold at our company is made by the management and only by the management.”
Haaland is said to have a £77m release clause which comes into effect from next summer.
While that figure represents a significant outlay for any club, many of Europe’s elite sides will likely consider that to be a steal considering the red-hot striker is possibly the most sought-after target in world football.
Premier League trio Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool are said to be three of the six clubs Haaland would consider moving to, the others being Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus.
Jurgen Klopp’s reluctance to sign players from former employers Dortmund, as well as owners FSG’s tight grip on the purse strings means they’re unlikely to stump up the cash for his transfer fee and wage demands.
And the dire financial situations at Juventus and Barcelona would most likely rule them out of the running, leaving the two Manchester clubs and Real Madrid in pole position for Haaland’s signature.
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Watzke added he trusts the striker’s agent Mino Raiola to properly advise his client on what his future steps should be.
“The ball lies in Erling’s court. I get on well with Mino Raiola because we can assess each other well,” he said.
“I know what makes him tick. It is not right to believe that Raiola is all about the money. He also has in mind what is best for Erling.”
Haaland has an incredible 11 goals and four assists in eight games across all competitions so far this season, and 87 goal contributions overall in just 67 matches since joining Dortmund.
