Madrid’s trump card for Haaland

The race to win over Erling Haaland next summer is gaining speed and Real Madrid is positioned with an advantage among the competitors who will try to sign the Norwegian. The last turn of the line was made by Hans-Joachim Watzke, the CEO of Borussia Dortmund, who confirmed something that AS had already anticipated for some time: Haaland has no termination clause to leave the German team.

After his signing for Borussia, from Red Bull Salzburg, rivers of ink ran about the departures that the Norwegian had to go to a bigger team in the short term, and It was even published that, as of January 2022, a clause of 75 million euros came into play, more than feasible for a footballer of the Nordic benefits. However, this extreme was never like that: what exists is a verbal agreement with Borussia to, as of the summer of 2022, negotiate its sale with the club that Haaland chooses. The figure of 75 million could be worth as a guideline at that time, today it has clearly become outdated: he has 72 goals and 19 assists in 71 games for Borussia; its value in Transfermarkt is 150 million and it is barely 21 years old.

What Watzke’s statements make clear is that, whoever wants Haaland next summer, will have to convince not only the player, but also Borussia, who have in their possession a contract signed with the forward until June 2024 That puts you in a position of power in the negotiation. Dortmund is a tough team, but reasonable: they know a way station for many footballers and they don’t close in on negotiating a sale when all conditions are met. And also, and therein lies Madrid’s advantage, his relationship with the white club is excellent.

Haaland, Raiola, Mbappé …

Florentino Pérez and Watzke developed a good relationship, practically friendship, during the first years of the second stage in the presidency of the Madrid leader. Above all, with the transfer of Nuri Sahin to Madrid in the summer of 2011. The constant duels between both teams in the Champions League (four times in 2012-13, twice in 2013-14, another two in 2016-17 and two more in 2017-18) strengthened this friendship, which in recent years has resulted in operations: Achraf spent two years on loan at Borussia and now Reinier does the same.

That does not mean that Dortmund is going to make the signing of Madrid easier than other clubs, far from it; the German club will try to get the highest possible price with minimal wear on its image, which is why it will always prefer to sell it to a foreign club before Bayern Munich, with the aim of avoiding another Lewandowski case as much as possible. What is clear is that between Madrid and Borussia the lines of communication are open and constant, the white club knows that on that side everything will be easier and that the complicated part will come in other facets: the deal with Haaland’s agent, the controversial Mino Raiola, or the Norwegian’s fit in a squad that already has Benzema and Vinicius upstairs and which will be joined, with great probability, Mbappé.