Chelsea’s interest in Erling Haaland seems to be mutual

The summer has just begun, but the rumors are already starting to become more of reality. Chelsea’s pursuit for Erling Haaland and the mutual interest between the two parties has dominated transfer news lately. Over the weekend, former Sheffield United and Norwegian footballer Jan Aage Fjortoft revealed without actually saying it that the Blues are interested in Haaland and will look to sign him this summer. Matt Law of the Telegraph later confirmed both Chelsea’s interest, but also Haaland’s interest in a move to Stamford Bridge.

For now, these just remain rumors. However, Fjortoft’s connection to Haaland and Law’s impressive track record make it seem like there is a serious chance of these talks becoming a reality. The Blues need to strike while the iron’s hot.

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Of course, next summer will allow Chelsea to purchase the Norwegian wonderkid for much less through his release clause. That also allows other clubs in Europe to obtain the funds they do not have this summer with football somewhat returning to normality. The rumored €75 million release clause will allow the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid to fix their financial situation with the return of fans. Bayern Munich and PSG will also need a potential new striker with the unknown futures of Robert Lewandowski and Kylian Mbappe.

The Blues are fortunate to have balanced the books well over the pass five years, making considerable profits on the sale of players. A transfer ban also allowed the promotion of academy players that filled holes in the squad. Of course, none of this is possible without having a smart owner who will invest when it is needed. Not to mention, Chelsea is the European Champion, which brings revenue into the club that will hopefully be invested into improving the squad.

The money is not the issue, rather the issue is the obstacles a club must face when trying to obtain one of hottest commodities in world football. First, the Blues must deal with Borussia Dortmund, who is notoriously known for driving a hard bargain when it comes to selling its players. The likes of Ousmane Dembele and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were sold for large fees and the impending sale of Jadon Sancho seems to be the longest transfer saga in recent history, with no resolution in sight. Micheal Zorc and Hans-Joachim Watzke—who are the Sporting Director and CEO respectively—buy low, sell high, rinse and repeat. This is something that must be applauded, especially from a neutral standpoint.

Once clubs get by the first hurdle of agreeing a fee with the club, a bigger challenge awaits in Mino Raiola. Raiola, for a lack of a better term, is the most difficult agent to work with in football. He not only wants to get the best deal for his client, which you could say is admirable, but also the best deal for himself in the form of agent fees. This only makes an already expensive deal even more expensive depending on how commission needs to be paid out. One could see why it’s important to remain on the good side of the relationship with one of most powerful agents in order for a deal to go as smooth as possible.

The good thing is that on the other side, the Blues have a great board that starts with Marina Granovskaia, who has shown last summer and in previous years that she is a great negotiator and always gets the best deal for the club. She played a huge part in obtaining the largest commercial deal in the club’s history with the Nike sponsorship and definitely won’t be intimidated in negotiating the Blues’ biggest transfer. The real question is whether or not Chelsea will purchase Haaland this summer or next. Everybody knows a No. 9 is needed to elevate this club to continued success both domestically and abroad. Now is the time and waiting could hurt Chelsea’s chances. There is no doubt Granovskaia, Petr Cech and Bruce Buck all will do the right thing for the club.

The Blues are European Champions with a young and talented squad that Haaland can relate to on all levels—he would fit right in. The Norwegian would follow in the footsteps of Tore Andre Flo at Stamford Bridge and hopefully surpass both he and his father, Alf Inge Haaland, as the best Norwegian player in the Premier League.

What do you think about Chelsea’s pursuit of Haaland and do you believe it will happen? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!