The Norwegian striker has been in exciting form since his arrival at BVB (Photo: Getty)
Chelsea have made Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland their main target for the summer and will try to steal the attention of the other European giants by offering more than their exit clause.
Since arriving in Germany this season, the 20-year-old has scored 12 goals and provided two assists in 11 Bundesliga appearances.
Haaland is one of the most outstanding young talents in Europe and is on the wish list of several clubs, including Real Madrid, Manchester United and Manchester City.
Haaland is an emerging superstar and is being courted by many top clubs (Photo: Getty)
18 months after the start of the 2021/22 season, when his £66.6m transfer clause kicks in, a massive rush for new signings is expected.
But according to The Athletic, Chelsea are trying to stay one step ahead of their rivals by offering staggering transfer fees this summer – a year before the exit clause kicks in.
The West London club will do everything in their power to lure him to Stamford Bridge and are on the verge of breaking the transfer record. The transfer fee to get him away from Dortmund is likely to be in excess of £100m.
The Bundesliga club want to keep Haaland as long as possible, even if that means losing him for less money in 2022, so will demand a high price to let him go a year early.
Read more: Chelsea FC
Although most clubs are facing serious financial difficulties due to the coronavirus pandemic, Chelsea spent over £200 million last summer and believe they can take advantage of the market and their rivals’ current inability to spend much.
It could also mean they have the freedom to run Haaland in the coming months, especially as Chelsea believe their rivals will wait until 2022 for the striker’s signature.
Chelsea should have used the £80m it spent on Havertz to contract Haaland (Photo: Getty)
However, Chelsea are still facing serious obstacles in their attempt to contract Haaland, particularly from Mino Raiola, the striker’s agent.
The Blues are not on good terms with Raiola after failing to sign Romelu Lukaku in 2017, while Haaland himself needs convincing to move to the Premier League after opting for a transfer to Real Madrid.
Chelsea, on the other hand, do not see Haaland as a replacement for the unfairly sacked Timo Werner and believe they complement each other. The imminent departure of Olivier Giroud, whose contract is coming to an end, accelerates the search for a new target man upstream.
MORE: Mason Mount reveals what he told Chelsea teammate Mateo Kovacic before the Fulham goal.
MORE: Mason Mount reveals what he told his Chelsea teammate Mateo Kovacic before the goal against Fulham.
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