Erling Halland and the transfer market merry-go-round

The Norwegian and Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Halland, took the world by storm on his debut European Champions League season back in 2019 where he scored a hattrick on the first half of his first game, with his club back then, Salzburg. After the fairy tale starts, it was only a matter of time till a major club snatches such a talent to play him at the greatest of the stages. After a brief transfer battle between Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund, the teenage sensation ended up with the German giants in the winter of 2020. And as all great players do, the boy never looked back ever since.

Scoring 17 goals in 19 games in the latter half of the season that he played, Halland already received the title “Terminator” for his ability to perform on big stages. His reputation only grew higher as after the club recognized him with the prestigious number 9. Scoring 32 goals in the season already thus far, the star boy is again set to cause some heat in the next transfer window with a release clause of only 75 million euros, which is activable in the summer of 2021. Furthermore, it is expected to be a though transfer since Halland is represented by Mino Riaola, a man known to be very hard to negotiate terms with. But with big clubs from England and Spain, as well as an eye from Bayern, the transfer shows the potential of a great one. So here are the top five competitors for the next big thing.

source: football.london

FC Bayern Munich

The German giant is one of the clear stands out to bargain on Halland. The barbarians are in the stage of rebuilding their team with great young potentials and upon winning the Champions League last season, it can be dubbed they are doing it right. However, their difference maker and the main man in form, Robert Lewandoski, even after having the time of his lifetime, is unlikely to carry on much longer. So, it is only logical for the club to focus on upcoming sensations to fill-in in his position, and Halland is nothing but the perfect candidate. Not to mention Bayern is well known for snatching the biggest of the players from their arch-rivals throughout the past. Halland’s recent performance against the German giants in the latest episode of Der Klassiker has only left the Bayern directors in praises, even so, the manager Flick leaked his intentions in a recent press release stating “cannot rule out anything” when asked about his intentions on the Borussia striker.

 Manchester City

The Citizens recently confirmed that Sergio Aguero will leave the club by the end of the current season, thus making the number 9 position wide available for this new superstar. While filling Aguero’s boots is as difficult as it can be, there is no better candidate than Erling Halland himself. The club manager Pep Guardiola shows strong intentions and with the board backing up any big transaction required to get the sensation in the blue jersey. The UCL draw between Halland’s current club Dortmund and the citizens was a perfect stage for Pep to show Halland all the reasons for joining this rising giant. Furthermore, it is speculated that the club can go to any measures to get Halland in their pursuit of European title whether he performs against them or not.

Manchester United

On the other side of Manchester, another potential buyer eagerly awaits to get Halland on their team. Like Bayern, Manchester United also has an ongoing project to rebuild their club to full glory after their consecutive underperforming seasons. But theirs is one major reason why Halland might consider the Red Devils over any other club, and it’s their club legend and currently, manager Ole Gunner Solskjær, who is not only Halland’s countrymen but was one of his boyhood coaches when he played for Molde. The recent underperformance of Man Utd’s current number 9, Antony Martial, only makes it more reasonable for the prestigious club to look for a more profound replacement, and their past interest in the player says that they’ll go all-in for the star boy at least to make sure the neighbor rival doesn’t land him in.

source: Eurosport

FC Barcelona

Even with all the big English sides showing interest in Erling Halland, Spain is a very likely location for him to move to next summer. The Catalonian giant is on a mission to bring in players just like him. Especially after the humiliating defeat to Bayern in the 2020 Champions League, which shaped the team in a lot of ways. After letting go of their main striker Luis Suarez, the team is desperately in need of some young rush of blood to fill in the vacancy. To makes things even likely, Erling Halland’s father and agent both visited the club on the first week of April to discuss the opportunities of him playing there. However, one drawback for Barcelona would be their crippling debt which just became worse after the pandemic and the political unrest within the club. But with a given opportunity, it is unlikely for a cub of their caliber to let go of a chance to sing a player of such potential.

Real Madrid CF

After both Erling Halland’s father and agent visited Barcelona, it was speculated that they visited the arch-rivals Real Madrid as well, and why not? The club has been downhill on achievements after Cristiano Ronaldo left for Italy and to replace a forward of such charisma is never an easy job for any team. Real has been linked to the other young superstar Kylian Mbappe for quite some time now, however, the chances of Mbappe living his current club PSG or the French giant selling him only grows slighter as the time progresses. Halland would be a perfect alternative for the team that is struggling to win trophies at any level for the past few years. And just like the in-club fights between Manchester City and Manchester United, Real Madrid would make a big call to at least make it difficult for their rival club Barcelona.

With all the clubs lining up to get such a rare talent in their team, it can be speculated that the world is waiting for yet another transfer record in the upcoming summer. Even though the Borussia Dortmund officials express their will to hold onto Halland, it is unlikely given the club’s lack of capability to holding on to players in the past. But one thing is for sure, no matter which club he chooses, Erling Halland is set to make up for a big career ahead.