Juventus rule themselves out of Haaland race

Martin Macdonald

• Updated: 17 Sep 2021 14:59 CDT
• 5 min read

Juventus sports director Federico Cherubini says the Bianconeri are not currently in the race to sign Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland.

The Norwegian has emerged as one of the best strikers in the world over the past 18 months despite his young age, bursting onto the scene initially with RB Salzburg before sparkling again for Borussia Dortmund.

He is currently the fastest player in history to score 20 Champions League goals, beating the record previously set by Kylian Mbappe, and has started the 2021/22 campaign in fantastic fashion, too.

In six starts so far for Dortmund this season, he has scored eight goals and recorded four assists.

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Haaland is wanted by every elite club in Europe, most of whom have been linked with him at one point or another.

Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus are all potential destinations, with a move to the Premier League the most likely due to how healthy it is financially compared to the rest of Europe at the moment.

Juventus can be left off that list for now, though, according to Cherubini, who says he regrets the fact the club did not buy Haaland when he was at Malmo.

"Sure. It would be stupid to say no," he told Tuttosport when asked if there were regrets.

"It's a shame, although it needs to be contextualized. We were starting a new project and the prospect we could offer Haaland might not be attractive to him."

"Out of the race for Haaland? As things stand, yes.

"Then we will have to assess the situation of the transfer market and see if any opportunities arise. I do not like to rule out anything, but one thing is clear: any investment will go to a young profile, other types of players are totally out of our plans."

Ronaldo's departure

Cristiano Ronaldo completed a sensational return to Man Utd this summer after a three-year spell at Juventus, leaving the Italian giants short in firepower in attack even after the signing of Moise Kean.

Cherubini has suggested that Juventus were left with no choice but to move Ronaldo on after he confirmed his desire to leave before the end of the last transfer window.

"He told us: 'I want to leave immediately.'" the Juve director revealed.

"So, we thought about anticipating the future with the signing of Moise Kean. He is not the replacement for Cristiano, but part of a new project to continue winning."

Ronaldo made his second debut for Man Utd against Newcastle on Saturday and scored two goals.