Erling Haaland prefers move to “absolute top club” as shortlist printed

Chelsea are not on Haaland's list.

Incredibly, it's barely been a year since Borussia Dortmund signed Erling Haaland. And yes, admittedly, quite a bit has happened in the world in the time since, but the prolific rate at which he's rattled in the goals since arriving in the Bundesliga makes it feel like the big Norwegian has been there for years, not months. Haaland's transfer to Germany from Red Bull Salzburg did little to quell rumours that he would be on the move again at some point in the (near) future, with England repeatedly cited as a possible next destination. With concerns that Dortmund may struggle to secure a Champions League berth for next season - as well as the financial strain the coronavirus pandemic has placed on the club - speculation has been rife in recent weeks that he may be sold as soon as this summer. Chelsea have been widely reported to be one of many clubs keeping tabs on the situation. Whereas most of European football's stellar clubs will struggle to justify splurging huge transfer fees again this summer, Chelsea's spending after last season suggests stumping up the cash for Haaland probably wouldn't be much of an issue. Russian billionaires clearly don't feel the pinch of these global pandemics quite like the rest of us. Unfortunately for Mr Abramovich, however, Haaland doesn't seem too keen on the idea of a move to Stamford Bridge. SportBild state that while his agent Mino Raiola believes there will be ten clubs vying for his signature, the player himself sees only six clubs as a potential next destination - none of which are Chelsea. Haaland is said to only be interested in joining an established "absolute top club", which the report suggests Chelsea are not. Ouch. Real Madrid and Barcelona - despite recent reports of their own finances being struck by the global pandemic - are both named as being on the list, as are Juventus, who may choose to part ways with Cristiano Ronaldo to make way for Haaland. Liverpool, too, are named, as are both Manchester clubs, with the player having connections to both. Haaland's father, Alf-Inge, played for City, while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer managed him during his time at Molde and came agonisingly close to signing him before Dortmund, only for Ed Woodward to pull the plug.

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