Dortmund place €150m price tag on Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland’s agent Mino Raiola and his father Alfe-Inge Haaland have held meetings with Barcelona and Real Madrid amid indications that his current club, Borussia Dortmund, are demanding a transfer fee of €150million this summer.
Raiola held talks with Dortmund’s sporting director Michael Zorc earlier this week to discuss Haaland’s future and flew to Barcelona on yesterday morning before travelling on to Madrid. He and Haaland’s father then flew back to Nice.
Speaking to all the clubs who would be interested in signing Haaland is the way that Raiola operates and he adopted a similar ‘beauty parade’ approach when the striker left Red Bull Salzburg for Dortmund in January 2020. Extensive talks were held with other clubs led by Manchester United before Haaland eventually chose Dortmund.
Manchester City are also strongly interested in Haaland as they look to replace Sergio Aguero and it is understood that the Norwegian international’s father, a former City player, has had contact with City’s director of football Txiki Begiristain.
Chelsea are closely monitoring the situation and are also likely to speak to Haaland’s representatives at some stage. Sources suggest that Madrid are the favourites at present although all discussions are at an early stage and no decision has been reached.
What is interesting is that neither City nor Chelsea usually involve themselves in bidding wars for players but such is Haaland’s value that they may alter their tactics.
It is understood that Zorc explained to Raiola that the Bundesliga club had no intention of selling the forward this summer – their priority would appear to remain finalising a move for Jadon Sancho – and he later told Sky Germany: “I spoke to Mino Raiola. We’ve made our intentions very clear.”
However that would appear to be a negotiating position and would be tested by a substantial offer especially if Haaland, who was signed after his €23 million release clause was triggered, makes it clear he wants to go. Zorc has also previously acknowledged it would be extremely difficult to keep hold of the 20-year-old should they fail to qualify for the Champions League.
Dortmund, who face City in Manchester next Tuesday in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final, are currently fifth in the German league, four points adrift of fourth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt.
After news of the meetings in Spain broke, Zorc said: “I don’t have anything against (Raiola and Haaland Snr) taking in the sun on the Mediterranean. We’ve talked and our stance is quite clear. I am very, very relaxed in that matter because I know what we want.”
Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
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