The events surrounding Haaland’s departure from Borussia have been precipitating in recent times. The operation to sign the 21-year-old Norwegian striker is at its most decisive moment. It is a fact and Madrid is, by far, the best positioned to take the young pearl. As AS has learned from sources close to the footballer, Haaland has already expressed his preference for playing for Real Madrid but, in the same way, coinciding with the wish of his representative, Mino Raiola, he insists that he wants to leave this summer.
Despite the convalescence of Mino Raiola, whose delicate state of health only allows him to attend to the most select work topics, the last few days around Haaland have been one of frenetic activity. A specific offer has been placed on the player’s table in the last few hours that allowed him to continue one more season at Borussia, until 2023, already receiving the salary that he will have in the future at Madrid. There were several important sponsors involved in this operation, which was profitable for all parties: for Haaland, for Borussia and also for Madrid, which thus staggered the arrival of the Norwegian and that of Mbappé and, incidentally, did not coincide with Benzema. But Haaland (and Mino Raiola) are insisting that he wants to leave this summer, and not in 2023, making good the agreement they had reached with Borussia when he signed for the German club, from Salzburg, for only 20 million euros. .
Real Madrid had already foreseen this situation and its indication transmitted to the player’s entourage was that, in the event that his departure was rushed, he was determined to hurry up his options. And he is in an ideal position to sign him. Now not only does he have the player’s will in his favor, but there is also a very good relationship with Borussia, who have been informed by the white club of all the steps taken to date. The relationship between Madrid and Borussia is so fluid that they even agreed on that previous strategy of delaying the departure of the striker until 2023, something that still cannot be ruled out 100% (asked by AS, Borussia itself does not), but that already seems like a remote option.
Well-informed sources of the negotiation assure this newspaper that the final meeting in which Haaland’s future will be decided, and in which the Norwegian and his father, Raiola and Borussia will be present, will take place at the end (“in the second fortnight ”) this March. Given the player’s and his agent’s insistence on leaving this summer, Borussia need some time to make progress in negotiations to sign a striker to take the Norwegian’s place. If Dortmund moves after Haaland’s departure is consumed, the operation of his replacement will become more expensive.
In this sense, it seems that the Ruhr area club has two options very advanced. On the one hand, Ajax striker Sebastian Haller, who has already scored 29 goals in 30 games this season. The problem is that the player of Ivorian origin is already 27 years old and could leave for a price similar to what Haaland will leave in the box, about 75 million euros. The other option, more feasible, is Karim Adeyemi, a German of Nigerian origin from Salzburg (20 years old), who has scored 18 goals this season (three in the Champions League). There are two other players that Borussia follows intensely, Adam Hlazek (19), of Spartak de Praga, and Patrik Schick (26), of Leverkusen. The chosen one will have a lot to do with the price, Borussia’s finances have been very affected by the coronavirus.
A fierce dispute.
With everything and despite how well positioned Madrid is, Haaland’s future remains unknown. On the one hand, having nothing signed, it is unknown if Haaland and those around him have shown the same predisposition in private to other clubs besides Madrid. On the other hand, although the operation will not leave more than 75 million in Borussia’s coffers, the commissions that will have to be paid to the player, the father and the agent will raise the total amount to a figure that will be around 150 million euros. For Madrid it is a strategic issue. With Mbappé in his pocket (the arrival of the French crack is only a matter of time), signing Haaland would be the icing on the cake of a historic project (uniting the two galactic players who will dominate the next decade and making them play at the ‘new’ Bernabéu). But once Haaland and Dortmund confirm the player’s departure after that meeting that will take place in the second half of March, a fierce bid will begin.
Madrid have very tough enemies in their fight for Haaland. Laporta has already held a couple of meetings with Raiola, but Barça has a very difficult time reaching the financial amounts that an operation of this type needs, or at least providing them in the short term. Bayern itself is also in the deck of suitors along with Manchester City and United (both with possibilities) and PSG, although the latter, the French, is the league that least seduces Haaland. Before all of them, Real Madrid starts with an advantage, but everything will depend on where Raiola ends up setting the bar, not only in terms of the signing bonus and commissions, but also with respect to the player’s salary.
