Man City get Erling Haaland transfer boost from unlikely source after Borussia Dortmund disaster
Manchester City may feel their chances of signing Erling Haaland have increased after Borussia Dortmund’s shock Europa League exit to Rangers.
Erling Haaland wasn’t in the Borussia Dortmund squad who were shocked by Rangers on Thursday night, but he will be well aware of the implications of their early Europa League exit.
After a third-placed finish in their Champions League group this season, Dortmund were entered into a play-off for the Europa League knock-outs and paired with Scottish champions Rangers.
It wasn’t the competition they wanted to be in, but it represented a chance of European silverware that others have used to build on and challenge for bigger titles.
But Dortmund clearly didn’t expect the level that Rangers would bring to the tie, with former City coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst guiding the Scots to a hugely impressive 4-2 win last week at the Westfalenstadion, backed up by a 2-2 draw at Ibrox on Thursday to book Rangers’ place in the last 16.
Dortmund must now focus on trying to make up the six points they trail Bayern Munich by in the Bundesliga, and securing qualification for next year’s Champions League.
After the Rangers disaster, they may have to face up to the fact they will compete next season without Haaland.
Reports this week say City have made an approach to Haaland’s camp over a summer move, although they would always deny that publicly.
They haven’t hidden their desire for a striker, however, and Haaland surely ticks most of the boxes of what City want from a summer arrival.
Dortmund say they will speak with Haaland’s camp in the next few weeks and haven’t ruled out trying to keep their star man for at least another season. That is a task made harder after their failure to reach the proper knockout stages of both premier European competitions this season.
Haaland, currently out injured, will want to see evidence that Dortmund can compete at the latter stages of the Champions League, rather than scrapping for third place in the group stage — and they were given four very winnable European opponents this year in Ajax, Sporting, Besiktas and Rangers.
To have failed to progress past those teams shows the level Dortmund are currently competing at in Europe.
Dortmund will have to do plenty of convincing to persuade Haaland they are good enough to better that record next season, as well as catching Bayern in the Bundesliga.
For a player capable of playing in a side competing for any European league title as well as the Champions League, it might be time to move on from Dortmund.
So as City try to position themselves as the best club for Haaland, they may be boosted by Dortmund’s latest European failure as the Rangers defeat knocks them further out of contention to keep him.
City may not have factored a club like Rangers into their equation while plotting the signing of Haaland, but they could now be thankful for an unexpected favour from familiar face Van Bronckhorst.
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