Borussia Dortmund has developed a reputation in the past few years, and it’s a reputation that the club doesn’t want. They used to be the dominant club in Germany, winning the Bundesliga in back to back seasons and regularly reaching the final stages of the UEFA Champions League, winning the competition on one occasion. More recently, they’ve slipped into Bayern Munich’s shadow, and they’ve become a club where players build their reputation for a season or three before moving on to better things.
The German giants never wanted to become a “selling club,” but the economic reality of their situation is that when a club comes in with a big-money offer for one of their star players, they have to consider it. That’s why Jadon Sancho finally moved to Manchester United this summer. The Red Devils didn’t come up with the transfer fee Dortmund wanted last year, but this time around they came back with more money, and the German club’s hierarchy found it impossible to say no. Having agreed to that sale, they and the club’s fans probably hoped that they wouldn’t be forced into any further sales this summer. Their resolve in that matter is about to be seriously tested. According to several sources in England, European Champions Chelsea are preparing a £150m bid for star striker Erling Haaland.
Dortmund since January 2020
Haaland has only been with Dortmund since January 2020. He was acquired from Red Bull Salzburg for a cut-price twenty million Euros and has since scored an incredible 57 goals in 59 games. When Dortmund bought him, they knew that they would eventually part with him. Their hope was that by signing him at the age of 19, they’d have him until perhaps the age of 23 or 24 before he moved on to one of the world’s greatest clubs. His talent was obvious even at Salzburg, but he’s developed faster than anyone expected. He already looks too good for Dortmund, and it’s thought that he knows it. He’s also always wanted to play in the English Premier League, where his father played for Leeds United and Manchester City. He has enough respect for Dortmund not to publicly request a transfer, but the belief in Germany is that he’s told the club that he wants to go this summer.
If Haaland leaves this summer, trailing in the wake of Sancho, it makes it all the more likely that England’s teenage sensation Jude Bellingham will make a move of his own within the next two seasons. It also reinforces the idea of Borussia Dortmund as an online slots club. What do we mean by that? Consider the overall objective of any of the online slots at Rose Slots Canada. You spend a little bit of money in the hope of making a lot more money a little later on. You don’t necessarily have any control over that – the reels of online slots games have a mind of their own – but that’s the reason people play. That’s what Dortmund appear to be doing with players. They’re betting on promising youngsters at comparatively low prices and then “winning” by selling them on for big profits further down the line. If you could win trophies by playing online slots, they’d be world champions. Unfortunately for them, you can’t. It’s a fantastic business strategy. As a strategy for catching up with Bayern Munich, it might leave a lot to be desired.
Publicly, Dortmund’s executives are saying that they won’t sell Haaland no matter how much money they’re offered for him. Privately, it’s thought that a bid of £150m is probably sufficient and that heads will rule hearts in the Dortmund boardroom. With £150m, they could buy a lot of reinforcements for the season ahead. Based on their transfer strategy of the past few years, they would probably look for three or four excellent young players at around the £20-£30m mark and try to create more Haalands and Sanchos. It’s been reported in the English press that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich believes £150m is enough to get the deal done and that he’s already sanctioned the bid. Are we jumping the gun, though? Will Haaland end up at Chelsea just because Chelsea can afford to pay such an enormous fee?
Haaland takes advice from his father, but his agent is Mino Raiola. Both Haaland Sr and Raiola were seen dining with the presidents of Barcelona and Real Madrid a little over a month ago. Both of the Spanish giants would love to have Haaland. Financial problems at both clubs will probably prevent them from getting any deal done this summer. If their positions change in a year, though, Haaland could opt to stay in Germany for another reason before lining up a move to Spain. On top of that, Chelsea isn’t the only club in England capable of spending so much money. Manchester City wants a new striker and could pay the same fee no matter how much manager Pep Guardiola insists it’s not an option. Manchester United have already spent around £80m in Sancho but aren’t done spending yet. Paying £150m for Haaland would use up the rest of their transfer budget for the summer, but they might consider it a worthwhile exercise for a player who could lead their attack for the next decade. If Chelsea’s bid is accepted, don’t be surprised if further bids are lodged. We can’t even rule out the idea of Paris Saint Germain getting involved, although the chances of Haaland being interested in playing in France are low.
At The End
Money talks in football and, in the case of Chelsea, speaks loudly. Borussia Dortmund is a club that runs on a budget, and offers in excess of £100m for any player are difficult to refuse. Combine that with the fact that the player apparently wants to move on to a bigger challenge, and it looks more likely than not that Haaland has played his last game for the German side. There are twists and turns in every transfer tale, though. Everybody expected Sancho to join Manchester United last summer, and it didn’t happen. The odds are against Dortmund keeping hold of their man – but playing the odds has never been a problem for an online slots club.
