Tuchel admits Chelsea could look to pair Haaland with Lukaku

James Shearman

• 20 Oct 2021 13:06 BST
• 3 min read

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has made clear the signing of Romelu Lukaku will not prevent a deal for Erling Haaland from taking place.

Haaland had been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge in last summer's transfer window but Borussia Dortmund's exceptionally high demands meant the Blues turned their attentions to Lukaku, instead.

However, Tuchel has now admitted that talks of a move for the Norwegian are still ongoing which could lead to a partnership of two world-class strikers in the Premier League next season.

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Haaland has risen to stardom in recent years after an impressive first half to the 2019/20 season at RB Salzburg before continuing his fine form at Dortmund in the latter half of the campaign.

Then, 27 goals in as many Bundesliga games last season saw the 21-year-old's stock rise further, to the point where he is now considered one of the best strikers in the world.

Haaland has registered 13 goals and four assists in 10 appearances in all competitions so far in the 2021/22 campaign.

Haaland and Lukaku at Chelsea?

Tuchel has now disclosed that Haaland has been a part of many conversations since he took charge of the west London club.

''We talked about Erling Haaland a couple of times, including during the transfer window. But then it seemed absolutely unrealistic and not at all feasible'' the German boss told SportBild.

“We talk about him regularly, of course, because he’s a fantastic player and clearly the defining figure at Dortmund, who is a big rival for us in the Champions League.”

The Blues opted for Serie A winner Lukaku as their big-money signing last summer, but Tuchel refused to rule out pairing Haaland with the Belgian.

“You mean two at the top [with] Lukaku and Haaland? We can talk about it,'' he added.

“I don’t think we’ve been really serious about it yet, but let’s see what will happen in the next few weeks."

Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, Manchester United and Real Madrid will all be competing alongside Chelsea for arguably football's brightest talent should he decide to leave Dortmund next summer.