Real Madrid will reportedly need to fend off competition from Bayern Munich in the race to sign Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund.
According to a report by Spanish outlet Defensa Central, Real Madrid could have Bayern Munich as their rivals in the race to sign Erling Haaland in the summer transfer window. The Borussia Dortmund goal machine, also a target for Real Madrid, could be the long-term replacement for Robert Lewandowski.
Erling Haaland joined Borussia Dortmund from Red Bull Salzburg in January 2020 and has since transformed into a goal machine. While the Norwegian striker had already shown signs of being a prolific striker in the first half of the 2019/20 season, he has stepped his game up several notches since switching to the Bundesliga club.
To date, the 21-year-old has amassed an excellent record of 80 goals and 21 assists in 79 games in all competitions for Dortmund, going toe to toe with Robert Lewandowski to lead the scoring charts in the Bundesliga. And as fate would have it, Haaland could leave Dortmund to join Bayern Munich, who are rivalling Real Madrid in his pursuit.
The interest from Bayern Munich stems from the uncertainties surrounding the future of Robert Lewandowski. The Polish international has entered the final 18 months of his contract with the club, with developments on the renewal front being slow. The veteran striker has also been heavily linked with Real Madrid, who view him as an alternative to Haaland.
But Real Madrid’s primary target is Haaland, even though recent reports have claimed that they have cooled their interest in him. However, Karim Benzema is approaching the end of his glittering career despite being in the form of his life, meaning the Spanish giants must keep a succession plan in place to replace the Frenchman in due course.
Haaland is reportedly believed to be the priority target to that end, although Real Madrid will need to fend off stiff competition from Bayern Munich and several other clubs in his pursuit. Another one of the Norwegian goal machine’s high profile suitors is FC Barcelona, with the Catalan club in desperate need of signing a prolific striker.
But Bayern Munich’s emergence in the race to sign Haaland complicates matters for Real Madrid and Barcelona. The Bundesliga champions will only pursue the 21-year-old if Lewandowski’s situation does not improve. The Bavarian giants have a history of poaching players from Dortmund, with Lewandowski being the biggest name to switch Signal Iduna Park for Allianz Arena.