Hans-Joachim Watzke reiterates Erling Haaland will stay at Borussia Dortmund next season
By Tushar Bahl
Hans-Joachim Watzke has reiterated that Borussia Dortmund will remain firm on their stance over Erling Haaland’s future, and the striker will not be leaving the club in the summer.
Haaland’s agent Mino Raiola had earlier hinted in an interview with Spanish newspaper AS that he could look to try and push for the striker to leave Borussia Dortmund this summer. But Watzke has said that he has no problem with Raiola’s comments. In an interview with Sport1, the Borussia Dortmund CEO said:
"“I’ve known Mino for a long time and get along well with him. You have to accept his idiosyncrasies. But he also knows the idiosyncrasies of Borussia Dortmund. He can give a new interview every day for all I care. It’s no problem for us. Erling Haaland will remain a BVB player next year.”"
Watzke added that the way Haaland cheered for his teammates from the stands during the DFB-Pokal semi-final on Saturday showed how much he identifies with the club.
"“He’s not letting anything get to him and he’s going full throttle. The way he was cheering along in the stands shows how much he identifies with his team. There was also a conflict of interest with Robert Lewandowski back then. We stood firm and Robert accepted that. In the following season, he became the top scorer. I think Erling can do the same.”"
Despite Borussia Dortmund’s insistence that Erling Haaland is not for sale this summer, rumours about the 20 year old’s future continue to persist. Mino Raiola and Alf-Inge Haaland added more fuel to the speculation last month when they traveled to Spain to hold talks with Barcelona and Real Madrid officials regarding Haaland’s future.
In addition to the two Spanish giants, Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea are also thought to be interested in signing Haaland. But Borussia Dortmund are under no pressure to sell their star man this summer, with three years still left on his contract. Haaland reportedly has a release clause in his contract, which will come into effect at the end of next season.
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Haaland joined Borussia Dortmund from Austrian side RB Salzburg in January 2020 for a fee of 20 million euros. He has scored 53 goals in just 56 appearances for the Black and Yellows.