Borussia Dortmund have moved to dampen Chelsea’s interest Erling Haaland by urging the striker to stay at the club and develop his game.
Haaland is one of the hottest prospects in world football, having scored 33 goals in 33 appearances in all competitions for Dortmund over the last year.
The 20-year-old striker has broken numerous records since making the move from Red Bull Salzburg at the start of 2020 and has caught the eye of Europe’s elite clubs.
Chelsea are joined in coveting the Norwegian international by Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus, but prising him away from Dortmund will not be an easy task.
With the January transfer window now open, Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has moved to quell any interest in his star striker by drawing a comparison to Robert Lewandowski.
“I don't think that will happen,” Watzke told Kicker when asked about the possibility of Haaland leaving Dortmund in the summer.
“Erling and his advisor Mino Raiola know what they have in us. I can only advise him to do things like Robert Lewandowski.”
Lewandowski spent four years at Dortmund before moving on to Bayern Munich in 2014, where he has established himself as one of the world’s best goal scorers.
According to Sky Sports Italia, Haaland is Chelsea’s top transfer target for the summer of 2021 alongside West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice.
Haaland has scored 17 goals in just 15 appearances for Dortmund so far this season, while he has also netted six times in five games for Norway.
His ascent has been rapid since his move from Salzburg last winter, but Watzke believes Haaland’s career would be served by staying put in Germany.
“Haaland gave himself the time to mature into an absolute world-class player in Dortmund. You won't be able to do that in a year,” he said.
“Because it is clear that if Erling should leave us at some point, then he will only go to an even bigger club, and so many are not considered.
“If you join a club like - just for an example - Real Madrid, you have to be world-class.”
Haaland returned to Dortmund action after the Bundesliga winter break on Sunday, surprisingly failing to score as Edin Terzic’s side beat Wolfsburg 2-0.
