Why Real Madrid benefits from Dortmund keeping Erling Haaland in 2021

With all the turtle emojis and Nasser Al-Khelaifi quotes circulating around social media, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Kylian Mbappe is the only superstar attacker on the minds of Real Madrid fans. He is a prime target for 2022 and a still-possible target for 2021, even as the chances of signing him dwindle with every strongly-worded report or statement coming out of the Parisian camp. But Erling Haaland is very much a top target for 2022, too.

Haaland burst onto the scene in the 2019-2020 season at RB Salzburg, earning a winter move to Borussia Dortmund, where he has reached new heights. Though Haaland’s German Bundesliga brilliance is unsurprising, nobody could have predicted the jaw-dropping stats.

Haaland scored 27 goals in 27 starts for a third-place Schwarzgelben last season, earning major interest from across Europe. Chelsea and Real Madrid have since distinguished themselves as prime options, though the Blues may have taken themselves out of the equation with the Romelu Lukaku move.

That may be because Dortmund and Haaland gave Chelsea flat “no” when the Londoners pitched their offers to club and player. A recent report from Goal.com’s Mario Cortegana corroborates that information, as the ace reporter relays that Dortmund is firmly against selling Erling Haaland to anyone. They have refused offers from many clubs around the continent.

Real Madrid, Chelsea cannot buy Erling Haaland from Dortmund this year

Cortegana flatly states that the “door is closed” on a 2021 transfer as of right now, even stating that Real Madrid do not want to risk their relationship with Dortmund by pushing further. (It is a similar strategy to their long-term approach for Mbappe.)

In a way, all of this is actually a good thing for Real Madrid fans. No, it’s not good that Haaland cannot come to the Santiago Bernabeu in 2021, but Dortmund’s stance on keeping Haaland through the 2021-2022 season is actually good in the end. Because it means richer competitors like Chelsea and Manchester City cannot use their money to sway one of the parties involved in this mega-transfer.

Therefore, Real Madrid can offer a financial package to Mino Raiola, Haaland, and the young man’s father in 2022. Presumably, they would have more money available, and they would only have to activate Haaland’s modest release clause. It all works out, especially if Haaland, as many assume, dreams of Real. The prospect of having both Haaland and Mbappe in the future, even if the fans must wait a year, is beyond tantalizing.

Of course, it even makes sense from Dortmund’s perspective. Yes, they could use the extra cash, but they might stand to lose more money in the long run if they don’t make it to the Champions League. They already made their money from the Jadon Sancho deal, whereas losing both Sancho and Haaland in the same window would put huge stress on the team and new manager Marco Rose from a sporting perspective.

So when looking at the situation logically, we can see why Cortegana believes the door has been shut with regards to a 2021 Haaland transfer. But that just means Real have a foot hovering outside the door, ready to step through when it does open in the summer 2022 market.