Most indications are that Erling Braut Haaland’s (21) next club will be ready soon. The transfer fee Borussia Dortmund will receive will be at a discounted price – due to a clause.
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– The clause of course gave Haaland more room for maneuver from the first moment, but since he has become so insanely sought after, it has become an extra bonus that has only grown and grown upside down in parallel with the sporting success, says Tor-Kristian Karlsen, former sports director in Monaco, to VG.
Haaland’s contract with Dortmund does not expire until the summer of 2024, but contains a much-discussed clause. It allows clubs to buy out Haaland for a predetermined sum, probably 75 million euros (approx. 750 million Norwegian kroner), by the summer – even though the real market value is far higher.
–At the time of purchase, Dortmund probably thought that around 55 million euros in profit (Dortmund paid around 20 million euros to Salzburg) would be livable. They had probably had a hard time imagining that the value would be so much higher than that, even if Haaland would deliver above expectations, says Karlsen.
– Who is the “winner” of the clause?
– When the contract was signed, it was an ok agreement for Dortmund, but as time has passed – and the goals have cleared in – there is no doubt that the player is sailing forward as the winner in this scenario.
Eivind Bisgaard Sundet has commented on most of Braut Haaland’s matches in Dortmund and follows German football closely. He believes both parties will benefit from the clause, and that there is no doubt that the Norwegian is leaving the club now.
– Dortmund is not financially dependent on frequent, large sales, but attracts players in this way. They do not sell in as a terminus, but a development arena. Then they have to sell to be able to continue to attract players, says the Viaplay commentator.
Karlsen believes it is difficult to estimate the transition value at the moment due to the market being quiet and clubs struggling financially after the pandemic.
– The desire to buy is generally low. Last summer, when there was actually a little more optimism in the market, it could be that the value was as high as 150 million euros. Regardless of the economic situation, Haaland is still worth more than half now. Dortmund would probably get over 100 million euros for Haaland today, Karlsen thinks.
He believes the 75 million euro clause is a “middle ground” of what the parties wanted in 2019.
– Now I speculate, but can imagine that Raiola started at 50 million and Dortmund countered with double that, so they met in the middle. This is usually how other technical details around a transition are solved. As long as the transfer fee between the clubs and the player’s personal conditions are in order, you are more solution-oriented with other “add-ons” (additions), says Karlsen.
But even if the transfer fee is cheaper than it could have been for the buyer, it is expected that the total price of a Haaland transfer with the purchase price, salary and fees will be the same. But instead of Dortmund receiving the money «over 75 million euros», these will probably go to Haaland himself, as well as agent Mino Raiola and father Alfie, who will also have an agent role in the transition.
– Raiola and Alfie have probably calculated what the real price should be, ie without a clause, and presented a total package that corresponds with the real market price.
Haaland’s agent Mino Raiola did not want to talk about the clause when he asked for one rare interview with Sport1 in December:
– What is in the contract is in the contract. It remains between me and the player. Only two parties are allowed to say something to the outside world, the club and the player. I’m never talking about details. We and Dortmund know exactly what can happen. It is set up very clearly.
– Contract or not, we have a very open communication with the Dortmund management. We are very honest with each other. It is much more important than what is written on paper. Papers are only there if something goes wrong, then we need it. Not otherwise, said Raiola.
–Borussia Dortmund club manager Sebastian Kehl told German Sky Sports at Easter that no one has triggered the clause yet. He also said there was a deadline on it.
– We want a decision as soon as possible, Kehl said.
Bild has written that the deadline for triggering the clause is April 30, while Viaplay’s Jan Åge Fjørtoft writes on Twitter that it is wrong.
– Whether the deadline is April 30 or July 1 does not really matter that much. In any case, negotiations would have to start now. Although the transfer fee is governed by a clause, the personal negotiations surrounding such agreements are extremely time consuming and complicated. Haaland’s next club ideally wants to have him with them from the first day of the run – up to next season and then you actually have no more than the time and the road, says Karlsen.
In recent days, several media outlets – such as The Athletic, The Times and the Daily Mail – have announced that Haaland will become a Manchester City player.
Fjørtoft, who has followed Haaland closely in Germany, believes that Real Madrid is still in the game.
Raiola has previously stated that there are four clubs that are relevant: Bayern, City, Real Madrid and Barcelona.
– I have no answer to your question. I have other things to think about than what will happen next season, City manager Pep Guardiola said on Tuesday about Haaland.
German Bild has previously claimed that Haaland will demand a huge salary from his new employer, and that the transition involves sky-high agent fees. Bisgaard Sundet believes that money will not be the motivation for the Norwegian national team striker.
– Everything they have done before, shows that they only go for the sporty. They could have gone for the money earlier, and gone to Manchester United instead of Dortmund, but I think Haaland thinks the opposite. When you are a country boy from Bryne, this transition will in any case mean large sums for him, the commentator believes.
Bayern Munich director Olivier Kahn has hinted to German Sport1 that a Haaland transfer seemed unrealistic.
– The Haaland agreement is often talked about. It makes you a little dizzy. There are parts of the agreement that are very far from what we imagine. It is financial dimensions that exceed our imagination, says Kahn.
Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has also mentioned the sums around Haaland as «madness».
PS! Haaland and Dortmund will meet Bayern Munich in the “Der Klassiker” in the Bundesliga on Saturday at 18.30.
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