Real Madrid are reportedly set to keep a close eye on Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland as the Bundesliga returns with a future swoop touted.
The 19-year-old has enjoyed a stunning season so far this year, scoring 40 goals and providing nine assists in 33 appearances across spells with RB Salzburg and Dortmund.
Unsurprisingly, it has led to plenty of speculation over his future, even though he only joined the Bundesliga giants in January and they will surely have no desire to part with him so soon.
Nevertheless, according to Mundo Deportivo, Real Madrid are set to track Haaland closely in the coming months as the top flight in Germany returns this weekend following the coronavirus pandemic.
It’s suggested that Los Blancos hope to see Haaland pick up from where he left off to prove that he’s capable of being a consistent goalscorer, and while they would like to sign him this summer, it may prove to be difficult and so a swoop in 2021 when a €75m release clause comes into effect could mean the La Liga giants wait until next year.
Given the financial impact of the pandemic on clubs, it could prevent them from splashing out big fees in the summer transfer window.
Scoring goals has undoubtedly been an issue for Zinedine Zidane’s side for some time, but especially this season. They’ve managed 49 in 27 league games thus far, and putting that into greater context, rivals Barcelona have scored 63 in the same number of outings.
When you consider Real Madrid boast the best defence in the league having conceded just 19 goals, it shows that the clear issue in the current side is the lack of goals with Karim Benzema’s indifferent form and a lack of a prolific alternative hurting them as Luka Jovic has struggled to impress.
With that in mind, a swoop for Haaland makes sense and it’s perhaps the smart thing to do to watch him closely in the coming months to be certain that he’s the right fit and the best solution for the team.
Time will tell though if they can successfully prise him away from Dortmund or not as he may well want to try and kick on and develop his game with the German giants in the coming years.