Dortmund not expecting mammoth offers for Haaland or Sancho

Borussia Dortmund do not expect to see their resolve to keep Erling Haaland and Jadon Sancho tested by huge bids this close season.

Haaland and Sancho continue to be Dortmund’s outstanding performers, predictably prompting transfer speculation.

Twenty-year-old striker Haaland has 29 goals in all competitions this season, a tally only topped by Robert Lewandowski (34) across Europe’s ‘top five’ leagues.

Luis Muriel (one every 79 minutes) is the sole star to have scored 10 or more times at a faster rate than the Bundesliga pair; Lewandowski nets every 80 minutes, with Haaland marginally slower at every 86 minutes.

Meanwhile, winger Sancho ranks joint-fourth with his 13 assists and third with 82 chances created.

Haaland is expected to interest Europe’s leading clubs, while Sancho was widely linked with Manchester United ahead of the 2020-21 campaign before staying in Dortmund.

BVB entered Saturday’s game against Bayern Munich four points outside the Champions League places in the top flight, potentially increasing pressure when it comes to the futures of their leading stars.

But the coronavirus pandemic will limit spending again this year, according to BVB CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke.

“I do not believe that ‘immoral’ offers will come because I know the situation in the European leagues very well, also through my work in the ECA (European Club Association),” he told Sky Sport.

Give everything you have for these colors pic.twitter.com/vsUJ0GSxhO

— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) March 6, 2021

“The clouds are getting darker rather than brighter and I don’t expect an extraordinary transfer summer.

“There are, of course, always two or three clubs, with whole states behind them, who find the means to pump money in. But in its entirety, I don’t think crazy things happen [in the window].

“At the end of the day, it’s our decision anyway [with Haaland and Sancho].

“But of course we always do it in such a way that we discuss it with the players. We would also like the players to be there with conviction and we will discuss every single case with the players if really extraordinary things happen.

“That is Michael Zorc’s and Sebastian Kehl’s task above all and we will get there. But I don’t think it’s going to be a huge transfer summer.”

A fifth consecutive Bundesliga win against Dortmund would take Bayern back to the summit, but Saturday’s visitors are well outside the title picture.

That is not a concern to Watzke, though, who added: “Oh, we honestly didn’t have that on our radar this year. We saw it very defensively from the start.

“The times will come again, when we will be closer together again.

“Two years ago we had a huge opportunity. Unfortunately we didn’t take it and then we finished second, but there was definitely the possibility.

“This year we are still in all three competitions. You have to see that and we have every opportunity to make another good season out of it.”