Erling Haaland Told To Stick With BVB Amid Man Utd, Real Madrid Transfer Links

From Red Bull Salzburg to Borussia Dortmund, Erling Haaland continued his impressive run and the Bundesliga sensation is now the subject of transfer interest from European giants. Reports suggested that the Norwegian striker could make the jump to Manchester United or Real Madrid but moving away too soon is likely the wrong decision.

That was the advice coming from Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke, who underscored that a premature transfer will not help Haaland's career. The club chief said the 20-year-old forward will be better served to play more years with BVB, where he is sure to develop into a world-class footballer.

Watzke pointed to Robert Lewandowski as the perfect example of a rising star like Haaland. The Bayern Munich goalscorer spent many years honing his skills with Dortmund and the discipline paid off with the Polish collecting multiple club and personal honors through the years.

"I can only advise him to do the same as Robert Lewandowski, who took his time to become a world-class player," said the Dortmund top honcho, and per the report by Marca.

Watzke reminded there is no shortcut in the transformation for a player to reach his optimal level. For Lewandowski, it took many years before he became a scoring champion and started winning titles. It's the same for Haaland and the BVB chief pointed out that a year with the Bundesliga club is simply not enough.

The executive also clarified that an informal agreement that would allow Haaland to walk away from his Dortmund contract next summer does not exist. Also, Watzke refused to comment on the reports that by June 2022 a release clause on Haaland's deal will be activated.

The club CEO insisted that for all players, the focus must be on becoming world-class because that would be the easiest route to someday join up with bigger teams such as Real Madrid and United.

Talks of Haaland possibly switching sides earlier than expected have emerged following his sensational performance since signing up with Dortmund in January 2020. The Norwegian international continued to found the back of the net in most of the matches he played and rumors followed that he could leave the German competition this year.

A jump to La Liga is possible and so is a transfer to the Premier League. In England, Haaland could find his way to Chelsea or United but the latter is seen as the likelier next destination for Dortmund's scoring machine, according to Manchester Evening News.

Haaland moving to Old Trafford will reunite him with Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as the two previously worked at Monde in Norway. Solskjaer pursued the young striker in late 2019 but Haaland decided to play for Dortmund instead.