Erling Braut Haaland put another feather in his young cap yesterday against Sevilla, after scoring his 18th goal in just 13 Champions League appearances. Despite moving to Borussia Dortmund just twelve months ago, every major European club has him on their radar and will try to win the race for his signature as soon as possible. The 20-year-old has a €75m release clause which becomes active in 2022, but clubs like Chelsea are apparently willing to pay over-the-top to sign him before then.
Of course, BVB are expected to put up a fight for their crown jewel, but according to reports from BBC and German outlet WAZ (via Sport Witness), the Bundesliga side’s financial crisis could compel them to sell.
According to the reports, Dortmund have already lost €26m in matchday revenue and could lose up to another €75m if they miss out on Champions League qualification — they are currently just 6th in the league. In order to make up for these losses, BVB have drawn up a eight-man “emergency sales list” that includes Jadon Sancho, Axel Witsel, Manuel Akanji, Mahmoud Dahoud, Giovanni Reyna, Jude Bellingham, Raphael Guerreiro and Erling Haaland, however, the departures of the last four would be a last resort — though missing out on Europe would not be helpful in any sense.
The often Chelsea-linked Sancho is the most likely to depart, with BVB even reducing his asking price to €100m. However, if the financial situation further deteriorates, there will be further sales, and Haaland would certainly fetch another €100m or so.
Of course, this doesn’t make Chelsea the favorites for his signature by any means, but with the club in a healthy financial situation, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Blues make a concerted effort to sign the generational talent.