Dortmund chief Sebastian Kehl says the club will not sell Erling Haaland this summer, despite the huge interest from Chelsea.
Thomas Tuchel is keen on signing the Norwegian star and recent reports suggested Chelsea were preparing a £150million offer for the former RB Salzburg striker.
Haaland even laughed off those rumours, saying he ‘hoped’ they were not true as no player is worth that huge amount of money.
But Chelsea’s interest is serious and the London club feel they can steal a march on their rivals by signing Haaland this summer, before a clause in his current contract makes him available for £62m in 2022.
But, Dortmund have shown their ability to resist Europe’s big sides with their two-year negotiations with Manchester United over the exit of Jadon Sancho and Kehl says Haaland will not be leaving.
When asked about Haaland’s future as Dortmund’s figurehead, Kehl said: ‘Definitely. I still see Erling as extremely committed. He exudes an incredible amount of energy and is really up for the season at BVB.
‘Erling won his first title with Borussia Dortmund a few weeks ago. I believe that this also inspires and spurs him on. He sees what is possible, and he often asks me when we’re going to play with fans again.
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‘Celebrating this triumph without them, that worried him. He would like to see this interaction between fans and players again in the coming season.
‘For me he is an absolute winner. He wants to be a champion – and I firmly believe he can get even better.”
Asked whether Haaland will be staying at the club after the transfer window, Kehl said: ‘Yes. ‘In the conversations with Mino Raiola about the (Donyell) Malen transfer, I did not have the feeling that we would have to meet again soon about Erling.
‘And we have already emphasised 1000 times that we do not want to give him up.’
The Norwegian says he has not spoken to his agent for over a month and says he ‘hopes’ there’s nothing in reports that the Blues want to sign him for £150m.
‘I haven’t spoken with my agent in a month. You might have the answer,’ said Haaland. ‘I am a normal person. That’s a lot of money for one person. I hope there is nothing in it.’
