Dortmund confident that they can replace Haaland next season
Stefan Bienkowski
- 18 Sept 2021 16:12 BST
- 5 min read
Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has admitted that it will be difficult to keep Erling Haaland next summer but that the club must have confidence in their ability to replace the remarkable talent.
Haaland has continued his incredible form for Dortmund this season, bagging no less than nine goals and four assists in his first seven games in all competitions.
Trending
To date the Norway international has scored 66 goals in 66 games for the German giants, with nine assists to boot.
As such, the Dortmund star has been linked with just about every major club in Europe, with Manchester City, Chelsea and Real Madrid all reportedly leading the way in their attempts to entice the player to their club next season.
And as unlikely as it seems, the Dortmund boss is confident that the club will be able to find a replacement for Haaland when he does eventually leave.
"We must have the self-confidence to say: We will also find a new top striker again," said Watzke in an interview with Welt am Sonntag.
Although the Dortmund boss didn’t completely rule out the prospect of Haaland not being sold in the summer, he did admit that it seemed more than likely.
"But I'm not saying it's completely out of the question," said Watzke. "At the moment, he is really enjoying playing in this team.”
Who could replace Haaland at Dortmund?
While it’s unlikely that Dortmund would be able to sign a player of Haaland’s stature next summer, that doesn’t mean they won’t be able to find a striker to score goals for them.
According to Bild, the four candidates to replace the Norwegian are Inter striker Lautaro Martinez, Timo Werner of Chelsea, Gladbach striker Marcus Thuram and Torino goalscorer Andrea Belotti.
However, it remains to be seen whether Dortmund would be able to afford the wages and transfer fees required to sign any of those in-demand players.
