Chelsea could make one of the signings of the summer as they are reportedly interested in signing Borussia Dortmund hotshot Erling Haaland, with a Blues player going the other way. Haaland has made a great impression once again as he has racked up an astounding 33 goals this season for the German club.
As per Football Insider, Chelsea could be readying a cash and player exchange deal to bring Haaland to Stamford Bridge, with German striker Timo Werner returning to Germany. Werner was signed by Chelsea after the Blues triggered his £47.5 million release clause last year. Haaland has a release clause himself, which is set at £68 million, but it will come into effect only in 2022.
Werner has scored just 10 times in 38 appearances for Chelsea, a far cry from the 34 goals in 45 appearances for RB Leipzig in the 2019-20 season.
Moving for Erling Haaland: A wise decision by the club?
Erling Haaland will be the most sought-after player in Europe in the summer transfer window, with several of Europe’s elite clubs interested in signing him. The 20-year-old has taken the Bundesliga by storm with his sensational goal-scoring and settled into the German league quickly. Haaland moved to Borussia Dortmund from Red Bull Salzburg in last year’s January transfer window and has already scored 49 goals in 49 games in all competitions.
Werner, in contrast, has had a difficult first season at Chelsea as he has found it tough to adapt to English football. The German striker is a fine talent, who can dribble with pace and score plenty of goals, but he has found it tough perhaps due to being played in multiple positions and having to adapt to two different managers at the English club.
But, Chelsea are a ruthless club that have let go of fine talents because they haven’t delivered. And there’s a big chance that the Blues could pull the trigger on Werner and try to move him on especially if they can gain an advantage in the race for a generational talent like Haaland.
If the Premier League side do sell Werner, Erling Haaland would be an incredible replacement. The Norwegian is a talent not just for the future but the present too, as he has shown in Germany. Haaland can dribble, hold up the ball, get into good positions in the box and use his brute force and sheer hunger to score goals.
The 20-year-old has all the ingredients to be one of the best of his generation, and he could get one step closer to the tag at a club like Chelsea. With the likes of Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech, and Callum Hudson-Odoi in the midfield area, Erling Haaland could get plenty of chances to score at Chelsea. And under a top-class manager like Thomas Tuchel, Haaland could take his game to the next level. This should be a no-brainer for Chelsea if the opportunity does arise.