Barcelona and Real Madrid will reportedly need to fend off competition from Chelsea in the race to sign Erling Haaland.
According to a report by Spanish outlet Fichajes, Erling Haaland is the subject of interest from Chelsea over a possible move in the summer transfer window. The Blues are eyeing the Borussia Dortmund striker, also a target for Barcelona and Real Madrid, as a replacement for Romelu Lukaku.
Erling Haaland has taken European football by storm since his breakthrough campaign at the club level in the 2019/20 season. After emerging as a prolific striker in the first half of that campaign, the Norwegian striker joined Borussia Dortmund in January 2020 and has been scoring goals for fun at the Signal Iduna Park.
The 21-year-old has an outstanding record of 80 goals and 21 assists in 79 appearances for Borussia Dortmund. But the Bundesliga giants are in a spot of bother over Haaland’s long-term future, as his exploits have captured the attention of all the high profile clubs in Europe, including Barcelona, Real Madrid and Chelsea.
The interest from Barcelona is borne out of the absence of a reliable striker at Xavi Hernandez’s disposal. The Barcelona boss has Martin Braithwaite and Luuk de Jong as the only natural centre-forwards at his disposal following Sergio Aguero’s premature retirement. And while de Jong has shown signs of a resurgence lately, the Blaugrana could do with an upgrade.
On the other hand, Real Madrid’s interest in Haaland is long-standing, with the club viewing him as a long-term successor for Karim Benzema. But Barcelona and Real Madrid will have to fend off competition from several other clubs, including Bayern Munich, in Haaland’s pursuit, with Chelsea now emerging as the latest contender for his signature.
Chelsea signed a striker last summer in Romelu Lukaku, who made a popular return to Stamford Bridge. But the Belgian international has struggled to settle down at the west London club, with his recent controversial interview not helping his case much. The latest reports claim that Lukaku is keen on returning to Inter Milan, meaning Chelsea will need to be on the lookout for a replacement.
Haaland is thus a viable target for Chelsea, who will enter the bidding for him in the summer transfer window depending on Lukaku’s future at the club. So, an all-out transfer war could be on the cards for the Borussia Dortmund striker’s services, with Chelsea, Barcelona and Real Madrid hot on his trail.