The summer transfer window is looming near as the race for Norwegian wonderkid Erling Haaland continues heating up with a new club linked to the Borussia Dortmund superstar almost every day.
For most clubs except for the rare few like Manchester City or PSG with their deep pockets, signing a possibly generational talent was never going to be easy in a heated market, especially for one like Barcelona that’s reportedly on the brink of financial bankruptcy.
As June draws near, with clubs going helter-skelter planning their moves and machinations, ESPN has now come as the bearer of intimidating news for the would-be suitors of the Dortmund wizard whose got the eyes of the entire football world fixed on him and his scintillating performances. They have reported that Dortmund have set an asking price on Erling Haaland, which will start at €180 million.
Earlier in the year, super-agent Mino Raiola bragged that there are ten clubs in the world that are after his young charge. He was right, of course. Barcelona, along with Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and possibly Real Madrid are among the clubs keenly vying for him.
New Barça president Joan Laporta supposedly enjoys a more than amicable relationship with Mino Raiola and if reports are to be believed, both men have already been in touch over the matter. As for Manchester City, despite certainly able to afford the stiff asking price, they nonetheless have a very strict wage structure in place and will not agree to a higher salary – although they could make exceptions in Haaland’s case.
The Los Blancos have not made a signing in the last two transfer windows and will be keen to get their hands into the market looking for some new generational golden glitter. It’s no new buzz now that their priority is Haaland’s future rival, Kylian Mbappe. It’s either one or the other as signing both of them in the same window would almost be like commiting financial suicide.
Borussia Dortmund are themselves now floundering in an awkward, vulnerable place in the Bundesliga, four points adrift of fourth place with aonly 43 points after 26 game-weeks. Certainly not the best place to be. And should they fail to qualify for the Champions League, they will have to quickly dispose a lot of their assets, including both Haaland and Jadon Sancho.
If perchance they manage to cling on to the Norwegian lad this summer, his €75 million release clause will come knocking like a ghoulish spectre in the June of 2022, which would hurt the club even more financially.
As things stand, Haaland’s 21 goals in 21 games in the league are probably the only reason Dortmund are anywhere near a UCL spot this season, but that itself is unsustainable as the Bundesliga club might run out of gas soon.