Borussia Dortmund have won the race to land teenage wonderkid Erling Braut Haland, signing the towering striker in a deal through 2024.
“Hello, BVB fans, Erling Haland here, looking forward to joining this fantastic club,” the 19-year-old Norwegian said in a video message posted on the club’s website Sunday. “Let’s go, see you next year.”
Haland had reportedly attracted interest from some of the biggest clubs in the world, including Juventus and Manchester United – which is managed by Norwegian Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – after his goals for Red Bull Salzburg in Austria’s top division and the Champions League.
But Dortmund came out on top in what is a massive transfer in the January window.
”I had several intense conversations with the club’s management team, in particular with (club CEO) Hans-Joachim Watzke, (sporting director) Michael Zorc and coach Lucien Favre,” Haland told the club website. “Right from the very start, I knew I wanted to move here.
“I can’t wait to get started and play in front of over 80,000 fans in the incredible Dortmund atmosphere. I’m so excited.”
Haland was second in scoring in the Austrian league with 16 goals and also second in the Champions League on eight goals, behind a former Dortmund striker, Robert Lewandowski.
The son of former Leeds and Manchester City midfielder Alfe Inge Haland, the younger Haland took Europe by storm when he hit a first-half hat-trick against Genk in September on his Champions League debut.
And that was after he once scored nine goals for Norway’s under-20 side against Honduras.
Salzburg head coach Jesse Marsch waxed lyrical about the teen when he spoke to CNN last month.
“It’s the talent he has but it’s more importantly his personality,” said Marsch. “I haven’t seen one selfish moment since I’ve known him in the last six months.
“We went through a time period where he was giving up penalties to his teammates, because he just felt like he wanted to share the positive energy with other guys in the team and I had to actually step in and say no, Erling is taking our penalties.”
He joins a Dortmund side fourth in the Bundesliga table and still with a chance of winning the title, seven points adrift of RB Leipzig – also owned by Red Bull.
Dortmund has long mixed success on the pitch with nurturing young talent – including the likes of Lewandowski, Mario Gotze and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – before selling them for big fees to higher-profile sides.
Dortmund’s current squad includes another 19-year-old goal scorer, England’s Jadon Sancho. He is tied with teammate Marco Reus for fourth in the Bundesliga with nine goals.
Haland could feature when Dortmund travels to Augsburg on Jan. 18 following the winter break in Germany.
