Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland has developed into one of the most sought after young attackers in world football and it is no secret that the top European clubs are looking at him.
The 20-yar-old Norwegian striker joined Dortmund midway through last season and he managed to take the Bundesliga by storm. He scored 16 goals in 18 appearances for the German outfit.
Prior to his move to Germany, he had managed to bag 28 goals in 22 appearances for RB Salzburg last season.
Speaking to Lothar Matthäus during a TV programme, the RB Salzburg director Christoph Freund claimed that he believes the young striker will end up at Liverpool.
The Reds have not been linked with the 20-year-old in the recent months but Freund’s claim will certainly fuel rumours of a summer transfer. There is no way Dortmund would sanction a January move for Haaland and his suitors will have to wait until the end of the season to sign him.
Apparently, Haaland has a release clause of £63m that can be triggered in 2022. It remains to be seen whether Liverpool try and sign the player before that.
There is no doubt that the Reds are in desperate need of a quality striker right now. Roberto Firmino has been in poor form for a while now and his form has weakened the Liverpool attack considerably.
Liverpool need a clinical finisher and there are very few better than Haaland when it comes to finishing. Firmino has scored 13 goals in his last 62 appearances for the Reds and that is simply not good enough for a team looking to challenge for the Premier League and the Champions League.
The Reds have plenty of creativity in their side and they need to bring in a quality finisher. Haaland should fit their style of play in theory and Jurgen Klopp could help him develop into a superstar.
The German manager has helped talents like Salah, Mane, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Robertson develop into top-class players and it would be fair to assume that he can unlock Haaland’s potential as well.
The release clause seems quite reasonable as well and Liverpool must do everything in their power to get the deal done. Given the fact that the release clause is only active in 2022, Liverpool could try and offer a premium to Dortmund to get the deal done next summer.
