July 15, (THEWILL) –Â Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund have remained adamant of their intentions to retain Erling Haaland and have turned down a proposal from UEFA Champions League winners Chelsea to get the sensational Norwegian youngster in a swap deal.
The English Premier League club made an approach with the intention of using either of the English players Tammy Abraham or Callum Hudson-Odoi, or both, as a makeweight in their bid to incentivise the Bundesliga side to agreeing.
This swap deal was going to be included in a monster bid that the Stamford Bridge club was preparing to employ in their negotiations for Haaland. However, they brought in the idea of the swap to keep from having to dole out the entire asking price of £150m Dortmund wants for the striker.
Chelsea’s addition of Abraham in the offer is considered a smart move for the club and better option for the player as the 23-year-old has struggled for minutes under Thomas Tuchel and is likely to be sold before the new season gets underway. It will also explain why the English club has refused offers for him from other clubs.
The offer of Abraham and winger Callum Hudson-Odoi, another Blues player that had not seen enough play minutes since Tuchel began to stick with a set of players for his matches, is believed to sweeten the proposal Chelsea is offering Dortmund and convince them to negotiate a transfer of Haaland to north London.
However, the Bundesliga club’s renown for determined sticking to their guns, which another English club, Manchester United, experienced when trying to pry Englishman Jadon Sancho from Dortmund’s grasp took them two windows, is again apparent. They have flatly rejected the offer and the swap. They are intent on keeping Haaland until a club wishing to get him pay the full price of £150m.
Although getting either or both of Abraham and Hudson-Odoi will be a good bargain for their side with the added fee that Chelsea will cough up in the transaction, Dortmund believe it will not be in their best interest for the value of Haaland.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
