Borussia Dortmund chief Hans Joachim Watzke has admitted they can’t compete with Manchester City financially if they come calling for Erling Haaland this summer.
The striker is widely expected to move at the end of the season, with a €75m release clause activating in his contract.
That’s a figure which all the big sides in Europe would be happy to pay for a striker who has 80 goals and 21 assists in 82 games for Dortmund, since arriving from RB Salzburg in January 2020, and is still only 21-years-old.
Manchester City are believed to be at the front of the queue for his signature, with Pep Guardiola’s side determined to add a striker to their squad and finally replace Sergio Aguero.
They have the money to match the clause and pay any relevant fees to get Haaland, with reports putting the whole package as high as €355m.
Whether that is the overall sum remains to be seen, but it was recently put to Watzke, who admits, either way, they can’t fight financially with those at the Etihad.
“I’ve gotten out of the habit of judging media rumours,” he told BILD.
“Otherwise, my day would have to have 36 hours. What you cite as fact is not an official sum; the figures were in a narrow tabloid.
“Therefore, the term “skidding money” is more of a term that we used to accompany the rumour with a smile.
“We currently know nothing concrete from the players’ side, nor has anyone approached us. But we know that we can’t keep up financially if Manchester City comes.
“We have already experienced this a few times. We lost Lewandowski to Bayern in 2014 and Aubameyang to Arsenal in 2018. But to be honest, we have also always created a new star.”
