Borussia Dortmund ‘continue planning’ with Erling Haaland at the club, says sporting director Michael Zorc
The free-scoring forward is reported to be interesting several sides around Europe
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Your support makes all the difference.Borussia Dortmund have refuted suggestions that star striker Erling Haaland is set to leave the club this summer, saying they are “planning” on still having him next season and retain ambitions for a top-four finish this term.
A campaign of upheaval sees BVB currently sitting sixth in the German Bundesliga, with a 4-0 win over bottom club Schalke last weekend - in which Haaland scored twice - leaving them six points off the pace in the race for Champions League football.
In European competition, the Norwegian striker continues to blaze a trail too, with two goals and an assist in the last-16 first-leg win over Sevilla last week meaning he has eight in just five games in that competition this season, and 27 in 25 across all matches.
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That form has, naturally, given rise to rumours of interest from clubs and comments from outsiders, with Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer revealing he is still in contact with his former forward from their time together at Molde.
But Dortmund’s sporting director Michael Zorc said in a press conference that there’s nothing to suggest the striker will depart this summer and that the club have every intention of continuing to build around him.
“It is clear that Erling Haaland cannot, does not want to, and will not switch to just any other club after his time at Borussia Dortmund,” he told reporters.
“We are very happy that we have Erling here. We continue planning with him. I don’t think he feels uncomfortable at Dortmund.
“We assume that we will achieve our goal of qualifying for the Champions League in the end.”
Dortmund have been without a permanent manager since Lucien Favre was dismissed in December, at which time Edin Terzic was placed in charge on an interim basis.
Borussia Monchengladbach head coach Marco Rose is expected to take over at Signal Iduna Park in the summer, with ‘Gladbach confirming as much recently. Dortmund face another relegation struggler at the weekend in Arminia Bielefeld, before facing Rose and his side in the DFB-Pokal quarter-finals on Tuesday evening.
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