Watzke: Haaland will not leave in January, in the summer it will be difficult to keep him

Real Madrid and Barcelona have both been rumoured to be interested in signing Erling Haaland, yet Borussia Dortmund CEO, Hans-Joachim Watzke, has declared that the player will not leave in the current January window, although it will be difficult to keep him beyond the summer.

Mino Raiola has done little to temper down the hype regarding a possible Haaland transfer, and it seems set that we will see a Clasico off the pitch in the battle for his signature.

"Who would give one of the best strikers in Europe away in the winter market if they didn't have to?" Watzke said in Der Spiegel.

"Haaland will not leave in January, Borussia Dortmund are still alive in three competitions, and in them we want to compete with the best possible team.

"Of course, it will be difficult to retain him, but we want to and will try."

In the likely event that the former RB Salzburg star is sold, Dortmund are already building a shortlist of potential replacements, with Karim Adeyemi of the Austrian club topping the list, whilst Dusan Vlahovic is seen as a much more complex transfer to complete.