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Borussia Dortmund boss Sebastian Kehl has admitted that they may be powerless to prevent Erling Haaland from leaving the club this summer amid interest from across Europe for the number 9.
Dortmund was punched in the stomach on Saturday by rivals Eintracht Frankfurt, who won 2-1 at the Westfalenstadion thanks to late effort by Andre Silva.
That left the Yellow Blacks seven points behind their Bundesliga rivals, who are in fourth place, with just seven games left by the end of the season.
Dortmund may now have to win the Champions League to secure their place in the same competition for next season, but they will face the Premier League champions and choose Manchester City in the quarter-finals.
If Dortmund do not have the Champions League for the 2021-22 season, their chances of losing to leader Haaland, who has 49 goals in 50 appearances, increase enormously.
The 20-year-old’s future is already the subject of widespread speculation and the player’s father, Alf-Inge, and agent Mino Raiola met with Barcelona and Real Madrid this week.
Manchester United, Man City and Chelsea are the Premier League clubs looking to sign the Norwegian international, who could cost more than £ 130 million this summer.
Kehl, the former Dortmund captain and now the club’s first team football chief, says they too have sat down with Raiola and Alf-Inge Haaland to discuss the future of the Scandinavian forward and that they had promising negotiations.
However, Kehl admits that it may get to a point where Dortmund cannot prevent Haaland from continuing, which may be referring to their uncertain status in the Champions League and the increasing likelihood that they will play in the minor Europa League.
“Our position is clear: we are planning with Erling,” Kehl said on Saturday. “We are very relaxed about it.
“Of course, we have been following the situation. But we had a very, very good conversation with Mino and his father (from Haaland) recently.
“I don’t want to get into those conversations now. After a certain point, we may no longer be able to influence what the future will bring.
“I have seen the boy training for the last two days and I have seen how hungry he is and the gleam in his eyes.
“We are very ambitious, we need Erling to achieve our sporting goals, and we have made that clear.”
Haaland may walk away for around £ 64 million in the summer of 2022 due to a release clause in his contract, but Dortmund could sell him for more than double this year.
However, they would rather not lose the prolific leader given his production and the fact that new manager Marco Rose will arrive at the end of the season.
The future of United winger Jadon Sancho in North Rhine-Westphalia state is also uncertain, and Dortmund would surely loathe losing both in the same summer given their importance.
Kehl’s comments come after Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc said this week: “I spoke to Raiola yesterday. We made our intention clear.”
United, Chelsea and City are expected to appear before Haaland representatives in the coming weeks.
City have the advantage of an already harmonious relationship with the player’s father, Alf-Inge, who spent three years playing for them between 2000 and 2003.
Although Citizens coach Pep Guardiola said on Friday: “With the prices we are not going to buy any strikers, it is impossible, we cannot afford it.”
“I want to be clear, maybe we can find a player to replace Sergio. In terms of numbers, he could be replaced, but what he means for this club is impossible.
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“We have enough players in the first team now and interesting players in the academy, and with the economy of world football now we are not going to sign a forward this season.”
While United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said of Haaland: “Although I worked with Erling, it is not right for me as Manchester United manager to talk about Erling, he will make his own decisions.
“I’m focusing on the next two months and whatever happens in the world of football, there are so many places that anyone can go and I just focus on the ones that are here.”
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel was equally shy, saying when asked: “I will not answer that out of respect for the player and Borussia Dortmund. He is a Borussia Dortmund player and of course there is great news surrounding him. and your agent.
“It seems that they are creating a career for the player a bit. But still, everyone must accept, and I will fully accept it, that this is a Borussia Dortmund player, a promising player, of course.
“But there are no comments regarding the [transfer] situation, it is not in our squad or in our club. So we won’t comment on Haaland any more. “
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