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Good morning, Fear the Wall.
I doubt any of you want to think or talk about BVB’s disappointing second-half performance against RB Leipzig. Frankly, I don’t want to write about it either, so let’s just re-live Julian Brandt’s goal:
Are you serious with this turn, Julian Brandt?!
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 17, 2019
Dortmund are in dreamland vs Leipzig! pic.twitter.com/SZTlZFPoOx
Nothing happened after that. Nothing at all.
Anyway, in somewhat more positive news, Borussia Dortmund are still strongly in the running for the Norwegian Striker Erling Haaland. According to Fabrizio Romano, one of the more reliable transfer rumor insiders on Twitter, Dortmund are in the mix along with Juventus, Manchester United, and RB Leipzig.
Håland situation, right now...
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 18, 2019
Bid from Man United.
Bid from Juventus.
Bid from Leipzig.
Bid from Borussia Dortmund.
He’s going to decide soon with his family and Raiola.
Ole knows he wants to play. He wants to be a starter.
That will be the key of his next move.
⏳ #Haaland
Competition from Manchester United and Juventus will certainly make this a difficult deal to pull off, but there are at least a few reasons to believe that it could happen. BVB just have to trigger a €20 million release clause, so they don’t have to compete with these clubs for a higher transfer fee.
The main issue is Haaland’s wages. Haaland is reportedly requesting €8 million per year, which is reportedly above RB Leipzig’s maximum offer of €5 million per year. Manchester United and Juventus have the funds necessary to provide Haaland with the wages he seeks, so the key question is whether BVB are willing to match this offer.
Erling’s agent, Mino Raiola, was reportedly in Dortmund to negotiate with Watzke and Zorc, and there was a period when it seemed that the transfer was all but a done deal. Unfortunately, now that Manchester United and Juventus have swooped in, a deal looks less likely. Many English sources are reporting that United are now Haaland’s top destination. Imagine my shock.
Regardless, it looks like Haaland is going to decide sooner rather than later. If BVB do pull off this signing, they’ll get a quality player to fill a hole in the roster that is desperately needed.
Daily Buzz: El Classico is today. Does anybody care anymore? Are the golden days of the Barcelona-Real Madrid rivalry, in which any match between the two was a must-watch, behind us? Leave your thoughts below.