Could Haaland leave Dortmund in January after early Champions League exit?

Real Madrid and Manchester City are leading the race for the Norway international, but will the Bundesliga outfit allow him to leave this winter?

Everybody wants Erling Haaland.

This season, he missed three games through injury and Dortmund were knocked out in his absence, their group-stage exit confirmed by a 3-1 humbling against Sporting C.P. in Lisbon.

Haaland’s hip problem was expected to sideline him for the rest of the year, but the self-professed machine returned almost two months early to net his 50th Bundesliga goal in his 50th Bundesliga game against Wolfsburg on Saturday, becoming the youngest and fastest player to achieve that feat.

“He displayed a lot of willpower and worked really hard in rehab to be back,” Dortmund’s head of first-team football, Sebastian Kehl, told Kicker. “He gave himself a very good feeling and confidence with that performance.

“He makes us better in many areas of the game. To challenge Bayern at the highest level, we need him.

“In the past few days, we all sensed that he really wanted to help the team after the game against Sporting. You have to weigh that up carefully so as not to take too big a risk.

“But the sessions before the Wolfsburg game were so good that the player, coaches, doctors and physios made a joint decision that he could play. After the next week in training, he will be even further along physically.”

Two of the world’s BEST strikers go head-to-head in #DerKlassiker. 😍🗺️🤩@ErlingHaaland or @Lewy_Official: Who will be victorius? 🤔#Bundesliga @BlackYellow @FCBayernEN pic.twitter.com/0HHQlNvLIC

— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) November 30, 2021

With Dortmund out of the Champions League, they now face the biggest game of their season this weekend, and there was no way Haaland was missing such an important Klassiker.

Beat Bayern Munich at home on Saturday, and they will go top of the Bundesliga. Lose, and they gift the Bavarians the opportunity to move another step closer to 10 league titles in a row.

Competing domestically is likely to be extremely important when it comes to convincing the likes of Haaland to stay at Dortmund, particularly with no Champions League football to look forward to for at least another nine months.

The 21-year-old has a reported release clause where he can leave the club next summer for €75 million (£63m/$84m), but BVB bosses are eager to keep their star player past 2022.

That said, they could be forgiven for cashing in on the Norway international this winter if it became clear that a lack of Champions League football in the new year was going to be an issue for Haaland.

There is a lot of interest in the ex-Salzburg star, but the transfer fee and additional expenses is likely to deter a lot of clubs, especially given that he will come much cheaper in six months’ time.

Real Madrid is Haaland’s preferred destination next summer, but any potential move to Los Blancos depends on what happens with Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe.

Manchester City are also in need of a striker, and Haaland is seen as the perfect signing after the Premier League champions ended their interest in Harry Kane.

However, City have major concerns over the cost of the transfer, with agent Mino Raiola set to demand a large payout for any move, while Haaland would demand wages worthy of one of the world’s best players.

Reports in Spain indicate that Raiola would want €40m for any transfer, while Haaland’s father, Alf-Inge, could also demand up to €20m, meaning Haaland would cost at least €135m (£115m/$154m) before wages are even taken into consideration.

Longer-term, Raiola’s influence is also a worry, as any future contract negotiation would also require another lump sum for the agent, as well as a pay increase for the player.

Those financial demands could be a blessing in disguise for Dortmund, with most clubs set to be priced out of a move for their star man.

Kehl insists that they will try everything to keep Haaland, who is under contract at Signal Iduna Park until 2024.

One of their plans is to double Haaland’s wages and make him the top earner at the club, removing the 2022 release clause in the process.

“Of course, we are trying to give him the feeling that Borussia Dortmund continues to be a top location for him and that he can still develop here,” Kehl told Bild.

“Maybe we can still convince him. We will fight for him. We will try everything. The decision has not yet been made, but I would bet €100 [on him staying].”

Source: https://www.goal.com/en-ng/news/haaland-leave-dortmund-january-champions-league-exit/bltb2947d19e6d7a726