Chelsea officials are allegedly ‘frustrated’ that they would not be able to recruit Erling Haaland this summer due to limitations put on the club after Russian tycoon Roman Abramovich was sanctioned following his country’s invasion of Ukraine. The Blues were interested in signing the striker as a possible replacement for Romelu Lukaku, who has struggled since returning to Stamford Bridge from Inter Milan last summer.
Chelsea wanted to explore if Borussia Dortmund star Haaland was interested in a move to west London, according to ESPN. After Abramovich was recognized as a prominent character with links to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, they were informed they couldn’t sign any new players as part of the terms of the special license they were granted to continue playing games.
Since joining Dortmund from RB Salzburg at the start of 2020, Haaland has been in sensational form. Over the previous two and a half seasons, the 21-year-old has made 87 appearances for the German giants, scoring 85 goals.
Following their Champions League final victory last summer, Chelsea was interested in signing the Norway international. Dortmund, on the other hand, elected to keep the player for another season, while West London went after Lukaku instead.
However, Haaland’s contract has a £63 million release clause that must be activated by June, meaning he will be permitted to leave Signal Iduna Park for a fraction of his real value this summer. According to the Daily Mail, he is now expected to join Manchester City, who have already agreed to pay him a stunning £500,000 a week.
With such earnings, Haaland would challenge Cristiano Ronaldo for the title of highest-paid player in the Premier League. And he has the potential to lead the Citizens to Champions League glory.
