Thomas Tuchel says he “fell into a trap” by speaking about Chelsea’s interest in Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland, and insists his comments were taken out of context.
The Blues boss told Bild on Thursday that the Premier League club “talk about Haaland regularly”, words that angered the German club.
Haaland is wanted by most of Europe’s top clubs and will be available for around £66 million when a contract release clause is activated at the end of the season.
Chelsea, along with Premier League rivals Manchester United and Manchester City, have been regularly named as one of the Norwegian’s suitors.
But Tuchel insists he meant no disrespect.
“I fell into a trap. I got an award in Germany, an award from a newspaper. They gave me this award and asked me about a player,” he said, as reported by Goal.
“Normally I never, never speak about other players, because I simply never do. We were making more or less fun about it and I should have known better.
"Because in making fun about it and being a nice guy to answer a question...getting this award I joke about a double striker with Romelu [Lukaku] in October, and it gets like we put an offer in. That was the context, but I should have known better.”
Haaland has started this season in sensational form, scoring nine goals in six Bundesliga appearances and another four between the Champions League and German Cup.
Since joining Dortmund in January 2020, the 21-year-old has netted a remarkable 70 times in 69 games, a rate that makes him one of European football’s hottest properties.
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