The fate of Erling Haaland (21 years old) is far from being decided in the next few days, despite the fact that everything indicated that it would be so. The delicate state of health of his representative, Mino Raiola, has stopped in its tracks a process that had already begun and in which the footballer had to decide on his future. The meeting between the player, his father, the agent and Borussia has been postponed sine die. Now not only do they wait, but so do the main teams that were fighting for the hiring of the striker of the moment.
Mino Raiola’s environment is very hermetic regarding the agent’s medical situation, of which no news has been released abroad. Neither to the main involved in the situation of the footballer. Raiola underwent surgery on January 12 at the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, a center specializing in oncology. Little was known about that operation. Raiola’s environment limited himself to saying that it was a “scheduled” situation, simply, “an intervention in which sedation was necessary.” However, a week later the German newspaper Bild revealed that Raiola was hospitalized again, this time in the intensive care unit. Although the agent is now at home, His state of health remains unknown and Haaland, Borussia Dortmund and the clubs that want him maintain a tense calm while awaiting further news. Without Raiola, nothing will get going.
Borussia hoped that Haaland’s future would be resolved during the Bundesliga’s winter break, which started again precisely in mid-January. Just before Raiola’s first operation, a meeting was scheduled between the Rhur basin club, the footballer and his father and the agent himself in which Haaland had to decide, once and for all, if he was betting on staying another year at the Borussia or go out in summer. The German club wants to plan the next season in time, look for a substitute in case of departure, and that is why they had given him a kind of urgent ultimatum. A situation advanced by AS on December 21 and that later, Haaland himself, publicly confirmed: “Borussia are putting pressure on me to make a decision about some things. But I just want to play football. That means I will have to get things going soon. I have never spoken before to respect the club. Things are going to happen soon. The ideal thing would be not to have to decide now because there are many games and I would like to focus on that, but I can’t…”.
A revelation that Watzke then took for granted: “Haaland is a spontaneous person, a young boy. There is no problem with Erling. But he must also understand our situation. We cannot wait until the end of May.” Although, later, the leader retracted: “Talking about an ultimatum is bullshit. There is no deadline for Haaland to decide.” However, the planned meeting is still pending. Raiola’s agency is very personal, there is not a movement that is made without it being approved and devised by him and the structure of the company is reduced to a handful of people among which is an image consultant, a personal assistant, an economist and a lawyer.
The footballer’s future team is not the only thing that is about to be decided around him. The agent’s illness has also coincided with the new signing of the player’s personal sponsor, who ended his contractual relationship with Nike on December 31. Puma (also sponsor of Borussia) has put an offer on the table for him to collect eight million euros net per season, trying to make him stay longer in Dortmund, but it is the German Adidas (which dresses Madrid) that seemed to have the forward, which brought him closer to playing at the Bernabéu. This negotiation has also been postponed sine die.
To this day it is still unknown if there is a signed clause that allows Haaland to leave Borussia this summer for a certain amount of money. As Wtazke assured this newspaper, there is only a verbal agreement between Raiola and Borussia to facilitate his departure (that is, to negotiate) for a range that would range from 75 to 100 million. An amount lower than his market value, which according to Transfermarkt is 160 million, the most expensive player at the moment. Madrid, Manchester City, United and PSG are the teams that are bidding for his signing. But all remain, like Borussia, waiting.