BVB line up 17-goal West Ham target, as they plan for life after Haaland

Youssef En-Nesyri Erling Haaland TEAMtalk

Borussia Dortmund are making plans for a life without Erling Haaland and have set their sights on a potential replacement, claims a report.

The Bundesliga side are well aware of the increasing interest in the Norway striker after his sensational start to life in Germany.

Haaland has smashed 43 goals in 45 games, including 27 this season and Europe’s big guns are getting twitchy.

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who failed in trying to sign the 20-year-old in January 2020, has spoken twice about the player recently.

The Norwegian coach has publicly admitted he is still “following” the former Molde man. While last week he added: “I keep in touch with Erling – it is great to see him become the player he has become.

“He is a Dortmund player and we wish him well there. Let’s see what life will bring later on.”

Chelsea are apparently increasingly confident about landing the Leeds-born striker this summer.

Italian outlet Tutto Mercato claim Roman Abramovich, who recently axed Frank Lampard and replaced him with Thomas Tuchel is ready to spend big again in the next window.

Bild have reported a similar line that Chelsea are in pole position for Haaland.

Meanwhile, Man City, where his father played, Barcelona and Real Madrid are also tracking the forward, whose €75m release clause is not valid until 2022.

Dortmund undoubtedly want to hang on to Haaland, just as they did with Jadon Sancho last summer. They will no doubt fight tooth and nail to keep hold of him, but they are actively looking for a replacement.

 

'Difficult for Erling Haaland to turn down Manchester City'

'Difficult for Erling Haaland to turn down Manchester City'

The Daily Telegraph's Matt Law believes Manchester City are favourites to sign Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland.

 

And Sevilla’s Youssef En-Nesyri is one of the players to have caught the eye, according to Eurosport sources.

En-Nesyri was a target for West Ham in January. In fact yhey made a reported £27m bid for the Morocco international and then returned with an improved offer. However, both were rejected by the LaLiga outfit.

It later emerged that the player had no intention of leaving Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium. His agent, Anass Ouzifi, explained that even a huge hike in his wages would not alter the situation.

He told ABC Sevilla in January (via Sports Witness): “They asked me what was Youssef’s situation. I told them directly that it didn’t matter, that Youssef didn’t want to leave Sevilla, that he wouldn’t.

West Ham bid for En-Nesyri

“They insisted and told me if they could offer something. I explained the situation well to them. Youssef is very happy in Seville, very grateful to the club and his teammates. Feels the affection of the fans.”

And the club’s sporting director Monchi lifted the lid on the finances involved. It seems as though the Premier League club were in the right ballpark but could not meet the required criteria.

“What they offered us, I am not saying it was ridiculous because it was not, but it did not satisfy our sporting satisfaction, the negotiation lasted one day,” he told Diario de Sevilla (via Sport Witness).

En-Nesyri has scored 17 goals this season after joining the club from Leganes in January 2020. The report claims the LaLiga club could be readying a new, improved deal for the striker.

That has led Dortmund to start looking into his situation in terms of his value and contract demands. They got a close up look at the attacker last week in their 3-2 Champions League, Round of 16 first-leg clash.

READ MORE: Cole explains why Man Utd look destined to fail with Haaland transfer