BVB chief Watzke confident keeping Haaland; dismisses Raiola 'self-marketing' Barcelona, Real Madrid trip | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund chief Hans-Joachim Watzke insists they won't lose Erling Haaland this summer.

The prolific Norwegian striker, 20, has been linked with a number of prominent European clubs including Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester City.

"I have the clear expectation that Erling Haaland will play for us next year," Watzke told BILD. "And I don't waste any thoughts on anything else."

Asked if Dortmund would consider an approach from Barcelona or Real Madrid, he replied: "I think they know about the contract situation and our stance there as well.

"I am just totally relaxed. Nobody believed us with Jadon Sancho last summer until deadline day, and he's still with us today."

Haaland's agent Mino Raiola and his father Alf-Inge visited Barcelona and Real for transfer talks last month but Watzke described it as a "self-marketing" trip.

He said: "Firstly, he had informed us in advance. Secondly, it's clear that Erling will leave us at some point, just not so quickly.

"We also know that such trips are always a matter of self-marketing with Mino Raiola.

"You could of course start a game of ping pong and attack each other in public every second game.

"You either have a model where you sign a player and then let him go again or you don't have it. We can live with it and feel well because we know the contract situation, which helps us a lot."