Erling Haaland hit the ground running for Dortmund since returning to the pitch following a hip flexor injury. In his three games for Borussia since Nov. 27, he’s netted four times, shining his unstoppable aura status among the European elite. Over the summer, the 21-year-old was a transfer target for the biggest spenders in football, but Borussia Dortmund shut the door to any potential buyer.
The German club played down talks about Haaland’s move, insisting he would stay for at least one more season. They did so even with the risk of letting him go for way less than what they would have made in 2021. Chelsea was rumored to have readied a $210 million bid, but Dortmund remained firm. In 2022, Haaland’s price will drop to a maximum of $100 million based on a clause in his contract.
Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, and PSG were mentioned among his high-profile suitors before last summer’s transfer window started. They are all expected to ask for a seat at the negotiation table for the second year running. And Haaland’s agent, Mino Raiola, is encouraging them. “There is a great chance that Erling will leave this summer,” the agent told Sport1 in Germany.
Raiola even mentioned the four possible destinations for Haaland, surprisingly including Dortmund’s rivals Bayern among the clubs, which also include Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, and Manchester City.
“Haaland will take the next step. Bayern, Real, Barcelona, City – these are the big clubs he can go to,” Raiola disclosed. “When we moved to Dortmund, we all knew this step would come,” the agent stressed.
Haaland on the move
Asked about the best timing for Haaland’s transfer to take place, Raiola said “Maybe this summer, maybe the summer after. But there is a great chance that Erling will leave this summer.”
Haaland won the German Cup with Dortmund since his January 2020, $23 million transfer from RB Salzburg, but he’s hungry for much more.
“He is someone who wants to develop, who is looking for new challenges,” Raiola said. “It is also a question of alternative. You only switch when you have a better alternative. We have to see. It’s going to be a very strange summer. We play football for a month and a half, then everything stops and we go to Qatar for the World Cup. That is strange.”
Raiola plans to discuss Haaland’s future with Dortmund as early as January, but he doesn’t see him getting a transfer at the beginning of 2022.
“I don’t think a decision will be made in the next few weeks,” Raiola said. “We will tell BVB what our idea is and BVB will tell us their idea. But a decision will be made in the winter,” the agent commented, refusing to make any sort of comment regarding Haaland’s release clause.
“Whatever is in a contract stays in a contract. That stays between me and the player,” he affirmed.
A surprise from the bookies: PSG are the favorites to land Haaland
Despite Raiola’s comments, the bookies regard Paris Saint-Germain as the favorite to land the Norwegian bomber after the season’s conclusion. PSG sits at +500 to sign Haaland, with City second at +800. Bayern is third at +1000 while a bet on Real Madrid and Chelsea returns +1500. Barcelona’s financial troubles make them seem like a marginal option at +3200. A bet on Manchester United returns the same amount.
Since signing for Dortmund, Haaland scored 74 goals in 72 games across all competitions. In 2021, he recorded 40 goals in 39 games.
Against Besiktas in the final Champions League group match on Tuesday, he netted twice after coming on in the second half. Dortmund ended 5-0 winners, but didn’t qualify for the Round of 16. Finishing third in the group behind Ajax and Sporting Lisbon does keep them in Europe, though. They will continue their continental adventure this season in the Europa League, the second-most important club competition.