There has never been a footballer as quoted as Erling Haaland. Perhaps Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been the dream signings for each and every one of the world’s great clubs over the last decade and it is likely that Kylian Mbappé will one day fall into that category. However, none of them are currently in the position that Haaland enjoys today. The Norwegian striker can choose any top-level team he likes.
Barcelona has remunerated Messi so well over the years, and has won so many trophies, that it is only now, as his 34th birthday approaches, that the Argentine star has the chance to think about capitalizing on his hierarchy. within the free agent market this summer. Even if you decide to leave, your onerous salary and high demands of imposing ferry limits on your options.
Similarly Cristiano, the current Juventus striker, was linked with the Manchester United and Real Madrid squads during the best years of his career, until both clubs felt able to let him go. In the case of Mbappé, the financial power of Paris Saint-Germain will always give them some control over the future of the 22-year-old gunner, even despite being a player desired by many.
Haaland’s situation is different: the unique combination of the 20-year-old’s prodigious talent with his contractual situation at Borussia Dortmund means that when summer arrives, he will be the footballer with the world at his feet. Haaland is the most quoted property of this sport, just at a time when virtually all major clubs need a productive center forward. Haaland and his advisers are smart enough to know that they can take a step back, while acting as mere spectators of the struggle that unfolds to secure their services.
In October 2019, shortly after Haaland scored a “hat trick” with the FC Salzburg shirt in his Champions League debut against Genk, his father Alfie told ESPN that every step of the Haaland’s career would be given after deep reasoning, rather than jumping to take the first chance that presented itself.
“If he has options, you have to be careful what you choose,” Alfie said. “We analyzed the club’s history, the technical director, its philosophy.”
Two months later, Haaland vetoed his transfer from Salzburg to Manchester United, thus favoring Dortmund: all because of the possibilities for his development that offered him to make the leap to Germany. Several sources have told ESPN that Haaland and his advisers believe the decision has proven to be the right one over time, and that any future move will be made based on the same long-term perspective.
There is a growing possibility that the next move will happen this summer, a year before he can invoke the € 75 million (£ 64,500,000) termination clause included in his contract with Dortmund. The BVB knows they could sell him at least twice that number after the end of this season, and if they fail to catapult him from sixth place in the Bundesliga table to be in the top four and qualify at the next edition of the Champions League, selling its listed asset could become a financial necessity.
However, which club is more likely to sign Haaland? Don’t be fooled into believing that the Norwegian will simply follow the smell of money to stamp his rubric on the most lucrative contract they put on the table.
Virtually every and every big club in the world wants him. United tried to sign him unsuccessfully in the last tournament. However, coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer still considers the player he coached as a teenager to be his first target, when he wore the Mullet shirt.
For their part, Chelsea also believe they can finalize a negotiation for the prodigious Norwegian and take him to play at Stamford Bridge; while Manchester City, having identified the need to sign a long-term replacement for a Sergio “Kun” Agüero who is about to run out of contract, are emerging as the main candidate to sign the son of ‘Alfie, who made 41 appearances with City between 2000 and 2002.
The COVID-19 pandemic is very likely to affect Liverpool’s ability to be a large container; however, at Anfield they maintain interest in the young goal scorer. For its part, Real Madrid is constantly the subject of rumors of an attempted and costly “operation Haaland” in the Spanish media.
Juventus have had Haaland in the spotlight since his internship at the Mold and could try again to sign if Cristiano leaves the Turin club, freeing up space within his payroll. As for Bayern Munich, DT Hansi Flick has expressed that “many things are possible in life. I can’t rule it out” when asked about the possible interest of current European champions to sign Haaland, after that the young figure of his eternal rival in Germany scored two goals against the Bavarians in Der Klassiker played last weekend.
Sources close to Haaland refuse to reveal any preference of the player as to what his next club would be; however, they are aware that the interest of all the aforementioned teams is genuine, and that each of them represents different challenges and opportunities. Likewise, each has points for and against.
From the outside, the City seems to offer the perfect package. They have the financial strength needed to complete an operation, and under Pep Guardiola’s orders, they are likely to offer the strongest chances of competing for the big trophies. City are desperate to win the Champions League, as is Haaland, and it is clear that the combination of both would represent a formidable force.
However, Haaland is a player with ambitions to play in all major leagues in Europe, similar to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and a move to the City would hamper that intention. In short, the City does not usually lose its big stars; therefore, a jump to Manchester’s Etihad Stadium would be long-term. On the other hand, United would sell him the challenge of becoming the man to take the club back to the top of world football, like a modern version of Eric Cantona. United have lost their seat among the elite clubs that often fight for the biggest trophies in football, but the commercial value of having Haaland as a star player would be immense, thanks to the immense popularity of the Reds. Devils globally. And that could be an attractive offer, especially if Solksjaer, who maintains a close link with Haaland, stays in the technical direction.
Chelsea could match City and United’s monetary offers, taking advantage of London’s striking cosmopolitan atmosphere to tempt Haaland to play at Stamford Bridge. Only City surpasses him in trophies won in England over the past 10 years; as a result, Haaland would sign for a club with the ability to win trophies, despite not having much regularity, thanks to the increasingly shorter work cycles of its technical directors. The bad streak suffered in recent weeks by Liverpool could cost them their share in the next edition of the Champions League, ending any remote aspiration to hire Haaland. However, if he gets tempted by the idea of playing at Anfield and adds his name to the list of legendary club figures, the romantic appeal of signing for the current Premier League champion could end up persuading.
In the case of Madrid, the meringues can surpass the United in global appeal and quality of their figures. They can also offer Haaland the opportunity to dominate in the Spanish League, as Cristiano and Messi have done for many years. And while the Madrid hierarchy in the Champions League represents a strong point of attraction, doubts remain about the White House’s economic capacity to take on Haaland’s recruitment in the post-pandemic era.
Juventus can offer the Haaland to play football in the Champions League and another step in their career towards the future. If Haaland is successful in Italy, he could leave for England or Spain, even before he turns 25.
And then there is Bayern. Robert Lewandowski has already amply demonstrated the riches that await a center-forward ready to leave Dortmund to camp at Munich’s Allianz Arena, and Haaland could be the perfect long-term successor for the 32-year-old gunner, who also militates with the selection of Poland. Although Bayern, similar to City, would offer many trophies, but would also aspire to keep him in their ranks for 10 years.
Whatever happens in the future, Haaland would not fail to be the big winner. With such a range of clubs stepping on his heels, it’s impossible to make a bad choice. Several sources have made it clear to ESPN that if there is one factor that will not influence Haaland’s next decision it is money. It will all depend on finding the most tempting challenge and captivating by the most engaging story. This chapter is yet to be written.