Borussia Dortmund ‘surprised’ as Erling Haaland claims he has been set deadline to decide transfer future
BORUSSIA DORTMUND have been left 'surprised' by Erling Haaland's claim he has been set a deadline to decide his future.
The 21-year-old Norwegian's £64million release clause promises to make him one of the most sought after players in world football this summer.
And earlier this week Haaland revealed Dortmund are applying pressure on him to make up his mind about where he wants to be next season - and want him to do so by the end of January.
He said: “Borussia Dortmund are now pushing me to make a decision about things… but I just want to play football.
"That probably means that I will soon have to get things started. I never spoke until now to respect the club.
“Dortmund have started to put lot of pressure on me. They want me to decide [my future] now.
"And so yes, things will happen now, even if I only wanted to focus on football and play football.”
These quotes have stunned Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc - who has publicly insisted no such talks have taken place between the player and the club.
He told Kicker: “Haaland's comments surprised us a bit. There is no deadline and there have not even been any talks yet.
"But we want to hold talks at some point.”
Haaland has been linked with a host of Europe's elite clubs as he seeks regular Champions League football.
Among those interested, Barcelona and Real Madrid appear to be the current frontrunners.
Premier League giants Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool are also in the hunt.
And Chelsea may reignite their interest if Romelu Lukaku follows through on his promise to return to Inter Milan.
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Haaland has scored a remarkable 78 goals in just 77 games since arriving in Germany in January 2020.
And Dortmund are willing to offer the striker £325,000-a-week to convince him to extend his stay.
The club will sit down with Haaland's father Alfe-Inge and his agent Mino Raiola to try and strike a deal.
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