Chelsea are reportedly willing to pay as much as €100 million for Erling Haaland, who is also a summer target for Real Madrid.
According to a report by Spanish outlet Diario Gol, Chelsea are prepared to pay the big bucks to secure the services of Erling Haaland in the summer transfer window. The Premier League giants are willing to splash out €100 million for the Borussia Dortmund striker, who is also being tailed by Real Madrid.
Haaland has taken the footballing world by storm since major breakthrough campaign in 2019/20. Initially at Red Bull Salzburg, where he was simply unstoppable, the 20-year-old has taken his game to an entirely new level since joining Borussia Dortmund in January 2020.
After one full year at the German club, the Norwegian prodigy has an astonishing return of 35 goals and 6 assists in 34 appearances, making a direct contribution to a goal every 63 minutes. Having continued to go from strength to strength, it is not hard to fathom why the who’s who of European football continue to chase his signature. These include Chelsea and Real Madrid.
Chelsea bolstered their attack last summer by signing Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech and Kai Havertz as part of a spending spree. Werner, in particular, was brought in to be a long-term solution to lead the line for the Blues, especially with Olivier Giroud on the wrong side of 30 and Tammy Abraham being set to be the second-choice option for the central striker’s berth.
However, up until now, Werner has struggled to settle in at Stamford Bridge, with Abraham and Giroud securing a lot of game-time as a result. The German international has also been utilised as a winger, which suggests that Frank Lampard is yet to warm to him being the central striker for good for Chelsea.
As a result, it has been suggested that the Blues could target a striker in the summer, with Erling Haaland reportedly being their priority. The Norwegian international, though, is also a target for Real Madrid, who seem to be laying down a succession plan for Karim Benzema. With Luka Jovic struggling to make an impact, it is clear why another striker is sought by Zinedine Zidane.
To that end, Haaland has emerged on the radar of Real Madrid, who have been planning to trigger his €75 million release clause, which comes into effect soon. However, Chelsea are willing to usurp them by forking out €100 million to land the 20-year-old.
Such a stance could indeed turn Borussia Dortmund’s head, prompting them to do business with Chelsea. Having said that, it remains to be seen if Real Madrid are prepared to battle the Blues with a better offer, or if a €100 million bid is enough for the west Londoners to sign Haaland come the summer window.
