Despite being one of the most coveted properties in world football, Erling Haaland is going nowhere according to his club Borussia Dortmund.
18 goals in 13 Champions League games by the tender age of 20 has led to some European heavyweights making nervous inquiries to their finance departments.
Haaland joined Dortmund for just €20million from Red Bull Salzburg just over a year ago, and is contracted to the Bundesliga giants until 2024.
The Norwegian's agent is the shy and retiring Mino Raiola. In an interview with the BBC earlier this week, he said, "It is obvious that everybody is looking at Erling as one of those potential new future stars because it's so difficult to do what he does at his age at his level.
"He will be one of the future stars of the next decade because we see that stars such as Ibrahimovic, Ronaldo and Messi are coming to an age where everyone asks themselves: 'How long can we still enjoy them?' So everyone is looking for the new generation.
"Only a maximum of 10 clubs can afford to buy [Haaland] and give the platform you would like after you've been in Dortmund, and four of those clubs are in [England].
"I don't think there's a sports director or trainer in the world who would say 'not interested'. It's like saying: 'Is there a Formula 1 team who would not be interested in having Lewis Hamilton?'"
One of the four Premier League sides to which Raiola refers is sure to be Manchester United.
Their manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer previously worked with Haaland at Molde, and says he's still in contact with the son of his former international teammate Alf-Inge.
However, "Haaland cannot, does not want to and will not change clubs", according to Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc.
Zorc claims to be unruffled by Raiola's comments, saying, "It doesn't bother me at all. I don't think they caused a stir either. They were completely normal statements. There are no bad vibes at all.”
He added, "We are happy to have Erling here, and happy that he has been scoring more in recent matches and has proved his worth for us.
“He still has a contract with Dortmund until 2024.
"I can only say that we continue to have him in our plans. I also believe that he doesn’t feel uncomfortable here in Dortmund, on the contrary."
For more of these stories, visit otbsports.com
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