Borussia Dortmund have finalised the signing of Erling Braut Haaland from Red Bull Salzburg on a contract until the summer of 2024.
The Norwegian sensation, linked to Manchester United, Juventus and RB Leipzig, among others, will sign for his new teammates on January 3 after signing for 20 million euros (17 million pounds / 22 million dollars).
Haaland, 19, has scored 28 goals in 22 appearances for Salzburg this season, 8 of six in the Champions League organisational phase.
“I have had extensive conversations with the club’s management, especially with Hans-Joachim Watzke, Michael Zorc and coach Lucien Favre,” Haaland told Dortmund’s website.
“From the beginning, I felt that I surely wanted to sign for this club, go through this path and play football in this Dortmund atmosphere in front of more than 80,000 spectators. I’m already waiting to get started.
Dortmund chief executive Watzke is also very happy to beat some of the smarter clubs with the signing of Haaland.
“Despite donations from some of the most productive clubs across Europe, Erling made the decision to sign up for BVB’s assignment and the vision we showed him,” Watzke said. “Our tenacity paid off. “
Sporting director Zorc added: “We can all expect to see an ambitious, athletic and physically strong centre forward with clear goal-scoring intuition and impressive speed, and we expect him to develop further at Dortmund.
“At 19, Erling is, of course, just what we expect to be a wonderful race. “
The signing of Haaland will give Dortmund a touch of excitement when they return from the Bundesliga winter break.
Favre’s side is seven times leading in Leipzig, sits in fourth position after an uneven first part of the season.
Their next three matches, facing groups at the bottom in Augsburg, Cologne and Union Berlin, are a chance to gain momentum at the start of the new year.
The profit of a club is, of course, the loss of the club. Salzburg fans will no doubt be disappointed to see their star leave for such a modest fee, while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United is a blow.
The Norwegian was hoping to link up with his compatriot at Old Trafford after racing with him at Molde, while his United teammates point to Jadon Sancho likely to join Haaland in the new year as Dortmund are unwilling to allow him to leave.