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Borussia Dortmund are trying to convince Erling Haaland to eliminate his release clause by changing a sponsorship deal, according to reports in Germany.

Haaland is one of the most in-demand players in world football. The striker’s goal record for Dortmund has been phenomenal since his January 2020 transfer from RB Salzburg. As such, his value his skyrocketed well past the €75m figure that represents his release clause next summer.

Consequently, many clubs are interested in snapping up the Norway international at the end of the season. The Premier League is a potential destination for a player once coached by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and thus linked with Manchester United – as well as Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City.

United could be looking for a long-term successor to Edinson Cavani and Cristiano Ronaldo up front. The question is whether they could convince a boyhood Leeds fan to join them.

Chelsea, meanwhile, signed Romelu Lukaku in the summer but are always looking for exciting signings up top.

Liverpool need to revive their frontline for the long-term, while City missed out on a replacement for Sergio Aguero in the summer and could spend big to rectify that.

Haaland also has suitors on the continent such as Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid. He will have the pick of the continent’s elite when choosing his next club.

Therefore, it seems almost impossible for Dortmund to keep him. But they have now devised a new strategy to change that.

According to Bild, Dortmund are ready to offer Haaland a new contract that would make him the highest paid player in their history. In doing so, they would also remove the release clause that does not reflect his true value.

However, it all hinges on sponsorship. Dortmund would only be able to finance the move if they can convince Haaland to change his main personal supplier from Nike to Puma.

Puma are Dortmund’s outfitters and could help them keep Haaland by taking him under their wing too.

In collaboration, their offer to Haaland could rise to somewhere between €16m and €18m per season for a salary. It would not meet the €30m benchmark he is seeking, but would be a record outlay for BVB.

Such a decision from Haaland would only come in January at the earliest. The closer it gets to the summer, the more anxious Dortmund will become.

Haaland’s current contract technically runs until 2024 but it seems implausible that nobody would pay his release clause in 2022. Therefore, Dortmund are ready to make their move to prevent that from occurring.

True Erling Haaland cost revealed

Earlier this month, one agent revealed just how much any suitors will have to invest if they wish to sign Haaland.

Although the release clause that – barring Dortmund’s plan – will be active is relatively modest for a player of his talent, it will still take a significant spend to sign him.

The representative of Germany international Toni Kroos, Volker Struth, claims to have inside information.

He recently told Bild: “Haaland has a release clause. The entire package with a five-year salary and commission for the agent will probably be around €250m to €300m.

“Even if Bayern Munich had the money, they would not do it. All hell would break out if a player in Germany earned €50m.”

It remains to be seen if any clubs elsewhere are willing or even able to finance such a package.

But the interest in Haaland – who has scored 13 goals from 10 games this season but is currently injured – is unlikely to fade any time soon.

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