Erling Haaland has reportedly told his close associates that he will remain at Borussia Dortmund for at least another year, in a fresh blow to the transfer plans of Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United.
The 20-year-old striker is one of the hottest properties in world football and has earned interest from almost every elite club in Europe.
Midfielder Jorginho was their highest scorer in the Premier League, although all seven of his strikes came from the penalty spot.
The £47million signing Timo Werner managed just six top-flight goals and Haaland is viewed as a major upgrade on the Germany international, whose better performances have come in a wider role.
Premier League champions Man City are also scouring the market for a striker after seeing long-serving forward Sergio Aguero depart for Barcelona on a free transfer.
Boss Pep Guardiola has made clear that he wants a player who takes most of the scoring responsibility in his squad.
Raheem Sterling, Riyad Mahrez and Gabriel Jesus were City’s top-scoring forwards last term with 14 each.
However, the Premier League sides have suffered a setback as Haaland is believed to have told friends and representatives that he will remain at Dortmund, according to ESPN.
Haaland turns 21 this week and understands that he still has plenty of time in his career to complete a big-money move to the Premier League or elsewhere.
The Bundesliga club’s hefty £150m asking price was already proving to be a stumbling block for potential suitors and there are few clubs in world football who could finance such a deal this year.
Finances are tight even at the top of the elite game due to restrictions thrust upon clubs over the last 18 months due to the pandemic.
Haaland has emerged as one of the world’s best strikers over the last year and has scored a staggering 57 goals in 59 appearances for Dortmund since signing from RB Salzburg in January 2020.
He now seems set to stay for another year, but the silver lining for clubs is that Haaland’s transfer fee will fall drastically next summer.
A £64m release clause in the Norwegian’s contract becomes active in 2022, meaning that Dortmund could end up losing out on nearly £100m.
Man Utd are also believed to be interested in Haaland but it is very unlikely that they will put together a bid after already spending £73m on his team-mate Jadon Sancho.
The England winger’s lengthy transfer saga is set to end this week when he completes his move following the completion of a medical and the final touches on personal terms.
United striker Edinson Cavani’s new one-year contract also means that Haaland’s potential arrive would make little financial sense.
A new centre-back is believed to be boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s next priority and a deal for Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane is widely believed to be edging closer.
Solskjaer has wanted to upgrade his defensive options and a long-term partner for club captain Harry Maguire is likely to arrive.