Chelsea were among several top-flight sides who were interested in securing the services of Erling Haaland in the summer transfer window, according to reports. But, Manchester City won the race and announced the 21-year-old's arrival from Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday afternoon.
The Norway international will join Pep Guardiola's side in July after City activated a €60 million euro (£51.2m) release clause in his contract. Haaland is set to arrive at the Etihad, subject to finalising personal terms with the Premier League champions.
He has featured 23 times for the German giants in the Bundesliga this season, directly contributing to 29 goals. The Norwegian's star-studded displays have steered Dortmund towards Champions League qualification.
READ MORE: Thomas Tuchel can sign Chelsea's own Virgil van Dijk if Todd Boehly beats Barcelona to £30m deal
Since taking centre stage at Dortmund, Haaland quickly grew into one of Europe's most highly sought-after strikers. And, before the ink had dried on the contract that confirmed his £17m switch from Red Bull Salzburg in 2019, the Norwegian's representatives had already begun to plot their client's next move, according to ESPN.
The report claims that in April 2021, Mino Raiola — who passed last month following illness — and Alfie Haaland visited Real Madrid and Barcelona on the day over a potential transfer. Earlier this year, ESPN adds that Chelsea and Bayern Munich bought tickets for the raffle, though it was the Premier League champions who 'left the best impression'.
However, while Thomas Tuchel's side were reportedly in the race, the west Londoners had reservations about signing Haaland — and it wasn't financially motivated, but instead tactically. ESPN claim that Chelsea scouts 'raised concerns' about whether the striker's stylistic profile would be suited to the Premier League.
The Blues' entourage outlined that the transition from German football to English could prove a problem; there's less space for forward players to attack and run into in the Premier League, compared with the Bundesliga. Chelsea have suffered a similar problem first-hand, with Timo Werner — a serial in-behind Bundesliga talisman — who struggled to hit the ground running.
A few months into the former RB Leipzig striker's tenure in west London, he admitted the upscale in difficulty. Speaking in December 2020, Werner said: "The Premier League is a little bit different to my old league. It's tougher than I thought. The contact here is harder than in Germany, it's what I expected but not like this.
"The beginning was very good, but now after a lot of games I'm struggling a little," he added. "I think it's hard when you play every three days, and on Saturday against teams that can rest the whole week."
