BVB laugh off Haaland missing first day of preseason amid fresh Chelsea speculation

It’s Monday, July 12, 2021. Do you know where your 20-year-old superstar striker is?

Borussia Dortmund began their preseason today, but have done so without Erling Braut Haaland. He was supposed to be there, but he wasn’t. He will apparently only arrive tomorrow, for whatever reason. BVB sporting director Michael Zorc isn’t worried, laughing off the questions from Sky Deutschland, joking that Haaland is “already in England”.

Very funny, Michael.

That said, we also have fresh speculation about Chelsea testing Dortmund’s resolve with the second highest bid of all time. This comes just hours after the Athletic reported that Chelsea are “coming to terms” with Haaland not happening this summer and being surprised by reports of us even thinking about bidding €175m (£150m).

But others claim that we are not only thinking about such things, but actively preparing them. Cash in some GameStop, Roman!

Meanwhile, according to Sport1, Haaland wouldn’t be against a move to Chelsea (or Manchester City or Real Madrid), but a move this summer remains unlikely. While Haaland is not happy that Jadon Sancho left, that’s hardly a big enough reason for him to force a transfer away. Moreover, he is now in line to be coached by Marco Rose, who gave Haaland his debut at RB Salzburg after the young striker arrived from Norway’s Molde in January 2019.

So, Haaland remains a dream, as always.