Report: Tuchel’s comments on Chelsea’s ‘unrealistic’ pursuit for 21-year-old striker angers Bundesliga club

Thomas Tuchel highlighted that he thinks a transfer for Erling Haaland could be ‘unrealistic’ despite being linked to Chelsea

In conversation with Bild (h/t Mirror) recently, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel shared his thoughts on the Erling Haaland transfer saga, and Borussia Dortmund have apparently met those comments with ‘anger’.

The Norwegian striker has scored 70 goals and provided 19 assists across 69 appearances in all competitions for Borussia Dortmund so far. The 21-year-old player has been attracting interest from footballing giants from across Europe.

A £75million release clause will be activated in the youngster’s contract at the end of this season. The former RB Salzburg striker already has suitors who are lining up for him as it could potentially be one of the biggest transfers in the foreseeable future.

Erling Haaland has been an integral part of this Borussia Dortmund team (GETTY Images)
Erling Haaland has been an integral part of this Borussia Dortmund team (GETTY Images)

Tuchel commented on how this transfer may be unrealistic for the club. At the same time he didn’t outright deny the possibility of a move to Stamford Bridge for the Dortmund striker:

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

It is also believed that Tuchel’s comment may have angered the hierarchy at the German club with his comments. The Blues have a plethora of attackers in their squad. The West London club just splashed £97.5 million for Romelu Lukaku in the last transfer window. The Stamford Bridge outfit could thus opt-out of singing a big-money player in the same position again.

Thomas Tuchel had some interesting comments regarding the pursuit of Erling Haaland (imago Images)
Thomas Tuchel had some interesting comments regarding the pursuit of Erling Haaland (imago Images)

While the prospect of a young striker could be lucrative, it seems as though the defending UEFA Champions League winners may not be overly interested in signing the mercurial Norwegian striker. It is believed that Manchester City, Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Paris Saint-Germain are in the race to sign him.

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Despite all these rumours Dortmund boss Marco Rose has shown a certain optimism that Erling may choose to stay at the club after the end of the season. With the top clubs lining up, Haaland could be an expensive option but his insane goal-scoring record could very well justify the price tag for any team that would want to sign him.