Borussia Dortmund chief Hans-Joachim Watzke has boldly insisted that the club will create a "new star" if Erling Haaland is prised away in the summer.
Haaland has evolved into one of Europe's very best strikers at Dortmund, where he's plundered 80 goals in 80 matches over the past two years. But the 21-year-old is expected to leave the club in the summer - with a host of top clubs plotting to take advantage of the reported £64million release clause in the striker's contract that is set to kick in at the end of the season.
Dortmund have garnered a reputation in Germany for rebounding admirably after losing top players. The Bundesliga outfit have cashed in on the likes Jadon Sancho and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang over the past few years, but have always replaced them with new stars; such as Haaland and Jude Bellingham.
And after his outrageous goalscoring exploits in Germany, Haaland looks primed to follow in their footsteps. The likes of Manchester City, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain have all been linked with an ambitious summer swoop for the Norwegian hotshot.
But Watzke is adamant that Dortmund will be able to recover once again by replacing Haaland if he does quit the club. He told BILD : "We've seen it a few times: we lost Lewandowski to Bayern in 2014 and Aubameyang to Arsenal in 2018. We've always created a new star. If Haaland leaves, we will find another new talent and develop it into a star, and that will also do the Bundesliga good."
Although it's anticipated that Haaland won't be playing for Dortmund next year, it's still unclear who will come out on top in the tussle for the striking prodigy. The Athletic claimed earlier this month that Manchester City and Real Madrid were the two main contenders in the race to acquire Haaland's signature.
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Pep Guardiola has craved an elite striker for over a year after City failed in their ambitious bid to prise Harry Kane away from Tottenham last summer. But the reigning Premier League champions are expected to try and solve their goalscoring vacancy by turning to Haaland once the current domestic campaign has concluded.
And while they may face stiff competition from other European heavyweights, Watzke has conceded that Dortmund will be unable to compete financially with Manchester City if they do submit a proposal to Haaland.
He added: "I've given up judging media rumours. Otherwise, my day would have to have 36 hours. "We don't currently know anything specific from the player side, nor has anyone approached us. However, we cannot keep up financially if Manchester City comes in [for Haaland]."
