Thomas Tuchel has accepted there have been conversations at the club regarding Erling Haaland, who remains a target for Chelsea.
Chelsea were looking closer to making a sensational move for Erling Haaland in the summer. The Blues hierarchy initiated and continued talks with Borussia Dortmund, which indicated their willingness to pay big money for the Norwegian striker.
What transpired in those talks remains a mystery as a move never materialised. Reports suggested financial demands from the player’s camp, particularly that of agent Mino Raiola, could have resulted in the call-off. Even Haaland was stunned at a point when he heard figures like €175 million for his services.
Chelsea would sign a striker in Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan as the window passed in a huge deal. While the Belgian started brightly on his return, lately, he has struggled for form and goals. This has led the media to speculate again on a potential transfer for Haaland to Chelsea.
As things stand, Thomas Tuchel hasn’t explicitly said the club might be interested but stopped short of ruling out a move for the Norwegian. The German boss remains open to the idea of bringing Haaland to Stamford Bridge, although it won’t be an easy task, considering the widespread interest expected in the striker.
Recently Manchester City were tipped to sign the Norwegian next summer and ward off competition in the striker. Haaland will be available for around £64 million due to a release clause in his contract. Chelsea were willing to pay a premium to secure the striker in the last window, rather than waiting in a queue next summer.
Goal.com pushed some interesting quotes from the Chelsea boss, who seemingly confirmed the subject of Haaland is being discussed in the corridors of Stamford Bridge.
Tuchel said, “We talked about Erling Haaland a couple of times, including during the transfer window. But then it seemed absolutely unrealistic and not at all feasible.
“We talk about him regularly, of course, because he’s a fantastic player and the defining figure at Dortmund, who is a big rival for us in the Champions League. You mean two at the top [with] Lukaku and Haaland? We can talk about it! I don’t think we’ve been really serious about it yet, but let’s see what will happen in the next few weeks.”
