Chelsea have big ambitions to add flashes of quality to Thomas Tuchel’s squad at Stamford Bridge this summer.
After winning the UEFA Champions League at the end of May, Blues boss Tuchel is determined to sprinkle his squad with just a little bit more magic to turn them back into genuine Premier League title contenders.
Amongst the German’s targets is Borussia Dortmund sensation Erling Haaland. The Norway international is understood to be the club’s top target and the Blues are desperate to strengthen their attacking options with his signature.
However, considering that Dortmund are poised to demand well over £100million to even consider a sale it proves just how big a challenge Chelsea will face to strike a deal.
With that said, here is a round-up of everything football.london knows so far concerning Haaland future and the Blues’ interest in his services.
Chelsea ‘agree’ personal terms with Haaland
Last month, it was reported the west London outfit had agreed personal terms with the striker. That is according to journalist Ian McGarry on the Transfer Window Podcast.
Whilst that is a major step forward in their attempts to sign the frontman this summer, a fee needs to be agreed between both clubs which is easier said than done.
Haaland drops major transfer hint
In other positive news, the 20-year-old admitted that he doesn’t want to get too comfortable in his career.
In an interview with Icon magazine, cited by The Telegraph, he said: “I have been taking a couple of steps over the past few years and I think they have been good steps for me, personally, to get out of my comfort zone and to develop even more.
“I want to challenge myself in everything that I do. It’s something I think about. It’s also for everyone to always do this. People can sometimes be too comfortable staying in their ‘zone’ so I think it’s important to get out of that.”
Haaland went on to confess his biggest dream in football, which is to win Europe’s top club competition, something Chelsea know about all too well having only recently lifted their second Champions League against Manchester City.
“That’s my big dream,” he said. “To win the Champions League one day. Hopefully I can lift that trophy and that really would be, well, amazing.”
Dream shirt number could be sealed
Nowadays, some footballers can be picky about which shirt number they wear. Some players have a strong personal preference that follows them throughout their career.
For Haaland, he has already worn a wide range of shirt numbers during his young career, but it is the No.9 shirt that he currently wears at Dortmund.
At the moment, that particular number is not up for grabs at Stamford Bridge, as it is currently worn by Tammy Abraham. However, he has been linked with a move away this summer and should he leave Chelsea, that would open it up for Haaland to claim if Chelsea were to get a deal over the line for his signature.
Agent Mahrez
A talent like Haaland attracts the biggest clubs in football, and with City needing a striker themselves following Sergio Aguero’s exit from the club, Riyad Mahrez has been stirring the pot on Twitter after a video emerged of the two on holiday together in Mykonos.
Mahrez got in on the fun, quoting the original video and captioning it: “Agent Mahrez on duty.”
However, he appeared to quash any talk of a potential move to City with a follow-up tweet that said: “Just having fun, calm down.”
Bayern Munich’s stance
Bayern Munich will not be pursuing a move for Haaland this summer, CEO Oliver Kahn revealed a few months ago.
The German giants are not in a strong enough financial position to contemplate launching a move, meaning that is one less rival for Chelsea to think about.
“A package that costs – as we heard – over €100million is unimaginable for FC Bayern at the moment,” he said when speaking to Sport Bild earlier in the year.
“Robert [Lewandowski] still has a two-year contract here. His performances cannot be questioned. He’s scored 39 goals [in the Bundesliga] so far!
“Just for that, we don’t have to think about Haaland today. Robert can keep this level for a few more years.”
Madrid in the driving seat
According to reports coming out of Spain, Real Madrid have taken a giant stride in their efforts to sign Haaland.
It is claimed that the Spanish giants have ‘total agreement’ on personal terms with the Norway international, but remain without the agreement of a transfer fee with Dortmund.
The German giants are likely to want around £150m for his services, but Madrid are currently facing a financial crisis, meaning the likelihood of signing him at such a high price seems unlikely.
£112m hope
According to reports cited by the Metro, Haaland has agreed to join Spanish giants Real Madrid this summer, with the La Liga outfit hopeful of agreeing a deal worth £112m with Dortmund.
This, however, seems unlikely, considering that Dortmund value the striker closer to £150m. But if Madrid see a reason as to why they can sign Haaland for £38m less than that, Chelsea may believe they can compete at the same price, with personal terms reportedly having been agreed already.
With Chelsea certainly no strangers to spending massive amounts of money on big-name signings, finding £112m to entice Haaland to west London could be more than possible for the Blues.
Chelsea plan
Despite the €75m (£64m) release clause within Haaland’s contract coming into effect in 12 months’ time, Chelsea are determined to land the Norway international this summer.
According to a report by Eurosport, the Blues are prepared to jump the queue ahead of their rivals and seal a deal for his signature during this summer’s window. The likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona would prefer to hold out until next summer.
However, Blues chief Tuchel is keen to get a deal done this summer, meaning the west London club are already putting a plan in place and are ready to test the waters with an offer.
With Financial Fair Play [FFP] blurred, if Roman Abramovich can fund a deal it should not be ruled out.
Opening bid ‘made’
According to Turkish journalist Ekrem Tonour, as cited by TEAMtalk, the Blues have lodged their first official bid for Haaland.
For several weeks it has been claimed that the Blues have agreed personal terms with the Norway international in the hope of getting a deal over the line, but they have yet to make official contact with Dortmund.
However, reports now claim that the west London club have made their first move to try and attract the Norway international to Stamford Bridge, tabling an offer of £60m plus Tammy Abraham. While that deal would amount to around £100m when taking into account Abraham’s value, it is unlikely that Dortmund would entertain such an offer, as they value the Leeds-born striker closer to £150m.
Marina Granovskaia’s plan
Chelsea transfer chief Marina Granovskaia is ‘really looking into a deal’ to bring Haaland to Stamford Bridge this summer.
That is according to Eurosport, as cited by the Daily Express, who say Chelsea feel they have a strong chance of winning the race for his signature.
The Norway star is Tuchel’s top target this summer to bolster his attacking options and Chelsea believe he could be the difference between them landing the Premier League title or not.
Although it will cost huge money, Chelsea are keen to make a deal happen.
‘No contact’ as of yet
Contrary to reports elsewhere, former Norway international Jan Aage Fjortoft, who is now a columnist, insists Chelsea are yet to make any contact with Haaland’s representatives over a summer deal.
The Blues are desperate to add a striker to their ranks this summer and do see Haaland as their top target to bolster their attacking options.
But despite reports elsewhere, Fjortoft insists Chelsea have not yet made any contact with Haaland’s team.
Haaland ‘expects’ move
According to The Transfer Window Podcast, Haaland ‘expects to join Chelsea’ before the 2021/22 Premier League campaign begins.
Despite other reports, hosts Ian McGarry and Duncan Castles understand that talks are advancing in the hope of a deal being completed. However, the sticking point could be that his agent – Mino Raiola – wants a release clause within his Chelsea contract, something that the Blues are not willing to do.
Talks have reportedly been ongoing since June and Chelsea are now looking to strike an agreement with Dortmund.
Deal expected
As cited by Chelsea News, Christian Falk – the Head of Football at Sport Bild – insists he expects Haaland to seal a move to Stamford Bridge this summer and join Chelsea.
Speaking on a new Twitch stream with Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, Falk admitted that he sees similarities between the Blues’ pursuit of Haaland to that of Kai Havertz last summer.
He admitted that Chelsea have a ‘big chance’ of signing Haaland and all they need to do to get a deal over the line is ‘break the bank’.
Therefore, the ball appears to be in the Blues’ court and they just need to strike the right note to get a deal done.
Firesale planned
Signing Haaland this summer is a dream for almost every Chelsea supporter and owner Abramovich.
The Norway international is the Blues’ top target and they are determined to get a deal over the line. However, with Dortmund commanding such a high fee for his services it is clear that the west London outfit will have to offload more personnel before they can bring him in.
And according to a report by the Sunday World, Chelsea need to raise another £86m to be able to launch a bid capable of convincing Dortmund to sell him. They claim that the Blues, in order to raise the funds within their transfer kitty, are ready to sell goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, midfielder Ross Barkley and strikers Tammy Abraham and Olivier Giroud.
Dortmund value Haaland at around £150m.
Dortmund discover replacement
According to a report by the Mirror, Dortmund are lining up a move for PSV Eindhoven star Donyell Malen as a potential replacement for Haaland.
The Dutch striker, who scored 27 goals in 45 appearances over the course of the 2020/21 campaign, is considered as one of the most exciting prospects in European football and could be a suitable replacement.
Considering that Dortmund are now looking at alternative options, it could mean that they are prepared to sell Haaland this summer.
Dortmund make their stance clear
Dortmund are not willing to budge on their £138m valuation of Haaland, according to Sunday’s copy of the Mirror.
After the sale of Jadon Sancho to Manchester United, the financial pressures on the Bundesliga outfit have been eased, meaning they are no longer under such pressure to offload the Norway international.
The only way that Dortmund are now prepared to offload Haaland this summer is if they receive an offer that they cannot refuse.
Alternative turns down contract offer
With it still very much possible that Chelsea may miss out on the signing of Haaland this summer, it is important that they keep their options open when it comes to bolstering their attacking ranks.
According to a report by the Mirror, one player the Blues have been keeping within their minds is Southampton striker Danny Ings. The Saints forward has been one of the Premier League’s top scorers in the last couple of years, quietly going about his business on the south coast.
Now, though, Ings could leave St Mary’s this summer and seal an exit after reportedly turning down a new contract offer. With him a much cheaper option than Haaland, it will be interesting to see if Chelsea flex their muscles and show a firm interest in him.
£150m bid planned
Chelsea are ready to make a £150million bid for Haaland this summer, according to a report by 90Min.
The Blues are desperate to sign the Dortmund star and believe that an offer of such power would simply be too much for the German club to refuse.
The summer window is officially open and now the Blues can look to build on European glory and bolster the squad to push for Premier League supremacy.
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Considering that he has a release clause within his contract that is worth around £65million that will come into play next summer, this sheer level of ambition shows just how keen Chelsea are to sign him in this summer’s window.
But whether a deal can be done this summer remains to be seen.
Tuchel holds talks with alternative
Although signing Haaland this summer remains Chelsea’s number one priority, they are keeping their options open in case they are unsuccessful in their efforts.
That is because, according the cfcnewspage, as cited by journalist Simon Phillips, Tuchel has been in discussions with Romelu Lukaku of Inter Milan and the talks have been ‘positive.’
It is claimed that those within Stamford Bridge believe that Lukaku would be the more accessible option, but Haaland remains their number one choice.