DORTMUND
Haaland wants trophies and is not contemplating Dortmund exit - says father
Electrifying form at Borussia Dortmund has seen Erling Haaland linked with a transfer, but his father says a move has not been discussed.
Erling Haaland wants to win trophies with Borussia Dortmund and is not thinking about a move abroad, according to his father Alf-Inge Haaland.
Dortmund won the race to sign Erling Haaland from Salzburg last January and he has made a stellar start to his career at Signal Iduna Park, scoring 27 goals in 29 games in all competitions for the club.
The Norway international has a better big chance conversion rate (62.5 per cent) than Robert Lewandowski (53.9 per cent) in the Bundesliga this season, though the Poland international has scored five more goals in the same amount of games (six).
A move to one of Europe's elite clubs continues to be touted for the 20-year-old, but Alf-Inge Haaland insists that has not been discussed.
Dortmund fantactic for Erling right now - Alf-Inge Haaland
"When you play well, it's only logical that big clubs knock on your door, but we're talking about speculation here," he told SPORT1.
"At the moment it's not in Erling's or my head that another club will be vying for him. We signed a long contract with Dortmund and they have a fantastic team for Erling right now. We don't want to look any further ahead."
Asked if the close season could bring about a move, he added: "You never know what will happen. We haven't talked about such a step yet. I think he would like to win some trophies with Dortmund. That is his goal.
"Erling can still achieve a lot in Germany and make great progress. Moving abroad is not a priority for us.
"I sometimes think he wants to and can assert himself in any league. At the moment, he is happy in the Bundesliga and focused on Dortmund. He just wants to be a better player and doesn't look too far ahead."
Erling Haaland was born in Leeds and played under Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for two seasons at Molde, and the pair have been linked with a reunion at Old Trafford.
"It's hard to compare the different clubs," said Alf-Inge Haaland when asked what his son feels is Dortmund's advantage over top clubs in England.
"Manchester United have achieved great success in recent years. The club is also trying to build something new there. But to draw this comparison now is not so easy because he is already playing in Dortmund. These are two very traditional clubs with a large fan base and a glorious history.
"Man United is a very proud club, just like Dortmund in Germany. And Dortmund want to beat FC Bayern [Munich] soon, that's the clear goal. We have to catch up to them. Erling wants to cling to this goal."
Dortmund suffered a 3-2 defeat to Bayern in the Bundesliga before the international break and face a trip to Hertha Berlin when they return to action on Saturday.