Chelsea Will ‘Have to BREAK Their Wage Bill to Sign No 1 Target Haaland’

Chelsea will likely need to break the bank over wages if they are to land their top prize Erling Haaland this summer.

The Blues have long been admirers of the Norwegian star are among the frontrunners to get his signature, though Haaland has intimated his preference to stay at Borussia Dortmund this campaign.

However, any deal struck in the current transfer window would almost certainly involve Chelsea having to make Haaland the biggest earner at the club, according to The Athletic

That title is currently held by star midfield dynamo N’Golo Kante, who is paid a whopping £290,000 a week.

Haaland’s father Alf-Inge and agent Mino Raiola have courted several top clubs on the 20-year-old’s behalf and are looking to secure him a mammoth contract.

A big stumbling block for Chelsea and others looking to sign Haaland this summer is the gargantuan fee Dortmund are demanding in excess of £150million. The Norwegian could leave for as little as £65m next year due to a clause in his current contract.

Haaland’s departure looks increasingly like it will happen next season after he reported for pre-season training at Dortmund and expressed excitement at working with new boss Marco Rose

Haaland told Stadium Astro: ‘I talked a little bit with new manager Marco Rose. I know him from before because I had six months with him in Salzburg. He’s a nice guy and I look forward to working with him.’

Another potential significant complication for Chelsea are Italian giants Juventus, who are also plotting a move for Haaland next season to replace Cristiano Ronaldo, according to La Repubblica.

Earlier this week, reports in Germany claimed that Roman Abramovich had freed up the funds for the Blues to go and get Haaland for £150m, though they would need to include one of Hakim Ziyech, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Tammy Abraham as part of the deal

Juventus could, however, block a deal from going through as the club reportedly have a good relationship with Haaland’s agent Mino Raiola.

Raiola helped Juve sign former Ajax defender Matthijs De Ligt in 2019 despite growing interest from the Barcelona camp at the time.

Interest from the Old Lady could prompt Chelsea to pay the huge fee that Dortmund are asking for Haaland now, instead of entering a bidding war with Juve and others next summer.