Dortmund are seeking to prevent off bids for Erling Haaland and their other stars. Haaland has been part of the deal for the past decade since joining Dortmund from Red Bull Salzburg for $24 million in January last year.
BVB are prioritising the Bundesliga
Michael Zorc says Borussia Dortmund are prioritizing the Bundesliga over the Champions League as they seek to prevent off bids for Erling Haaland and their other stars. Haaland has been part of the deal for the past decade since joining Dortmund from Red Bull Salzburg for $24 million in January last year. The 20-year-old has given the German giants a constant supply of goals on both the domestic and European front, and Zorc says a top-four finish will be critical to the club’s chances of retaining his services beyond the season. “I’ve never seen someone like him. We can search all over Europe,” the BVB sporting director told reporters. “If he ever leaves us anywhere, there will be only a handful of clubs. But we will try to keep him as long as possible for sporting reasons.”
BVB do not want to play in the Europa League
Dortmund qualified for the Champions League quarterfinals with Haaland leading the line, but Zorc admits the Bundesliga is more important than trying to win that competition. “We do not want to play in the Europa League on Thursdays. We want to give our calling card in the Champions League,” he added, with Dortmund currently fifth in the table. Haaland hit with a brace in Dortmund’s Champions League round of 16-tie against Sevilla last week, which sent them through to the last eight, 5-4 on aggregate. The Norwegian now ten goals to his name from six outings in the competition, four ahead of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar. Defenders across Germany also failed to keep out Haaland, who scored 21 goals in 24 domestic games, including 19 in the Bundesliga.
Haaland’s prolific attacking rate has captured his attention from the elite clubs of Europe’s top five leagues, including Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, Barcelona and Real Madrid. A potential Premier League move has also been discussed for Haaland, with Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, and Chelsea credited with being interested in his services. Bayern Munich are another likely next destination for the BVB star due to their recent history of poaching top players at Westfalenstadion.