Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland is not that interested in moving to the Premier League, according to Gianluca Di Marzio.
The usually reliable Italian journalist claims that the Norwegian international would prefer a move to Spain if he decides to leave Dortmund next summer:
“He prefers La Liga – he likes Liga a lot. So, I think in his thoughts, La Liga is the perfect tournament, now, to play in. Or Bundesliga, where he is currently playing. So it is not sure that he’ll leave in the summer. Borussia Dortmund thinks that for his career, another year there should be the right step. I don’t know what Mino Raiola thinks about it. I think Raiola wants to get him out of Borussia Dortmund because after two years there it is important for him to have another challenge. So I think he will try to find the right solution for him. Even last year when Chelsea tried to get him, he didn’t push to go there because he thinks that Real Madrid or Barcelona are clubs that, in this moment, are the right step for him.”
“Only Real Madrid and Barcelona can get him because he cannot go to Atletico Madrid or other clubs. Probably because when he started playing – like [Kylian] Mbappe who wants to play for Real Madrid – he told his agent to try for Real Madrid, if not them then Barcelona and if not Barcelona then Chelsea, Man Utd, etc… Real Madrid, I think. Even though they will sign Mbappe for sure, they would like to have a couple of strikers of the future. I don’t know if they will manage to do it.”
Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea have all been mentioned as potential suitors for Haaland in recent months, but Di Marzio’s comments do put question marks over whether the 21-year-old will be on the move at the end of the season.
It has always been assumed that there would be a battle for the forward’s signature when his €75m (£63m) release clause becomes active, but there appears to be a growing possibility that he’ll remain with Dortmund.
The likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona are unlikely to be able to afford Haaland, if we include the Norwegian’s wages and agent commissions, so if he doesn’t want to make the switch to England, a transfer may not happen at all.
