Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland will “land” at Premier League champions Liverpool, according to Salzburg sporting director Christoph Freund.
Haaland has quickly emerged as one of the best forwards in football, having rose to stardom at Austrian champions Salzburg before joining Bundesliga side Dortmund in January.
The 20-year-old scored 44 goals across all competitions in 2019-20 – 16 of those coming in 18 appearances after a mid-season move from Salzburg to Dortmund.
Haaland already has five Bundesliga goals in as many appearances this term, while he has netted eight across all competitions.
Freund believes the Norway international will eventually make the move to Liverpool amid ongoing links with Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus.
“That’s where he will land,” Freund told Sky Sports after Bayern and Germany great Lothar Matthaus suggested Liverpool as a potential destination.
“He can play for any club in the world. With his mentality, his will, with his self-confidence he can make a mark on European football in the next ten years.”
Haaland swapped Molde for Salzburg in 2018 and only made 27 appearances for the club before being prised away by Dortmund.
“It was a very long process to get Erling,” Freund told Goal and Spox.
“We first noticed him in 2016 at a game for the Norwegian Under-16 national team. Because it was difficult to get recordings of his games, we had it filmed.
“He convinced us right from the start, so the scout contacted him and his father. It is a great advantage to be in personal contact with a talent and their guardians before any other potentially interested club.
“That was in 2018. He seemed very focused, intelligent and self-confident to me. He knew exactly what he wanted.”
“Erling was not only a special story in this respect. That doesn’t hurt at all, it makes us proud because it’s part of our concept,” Freund added of Haaland’s exit.
“The player can take the next step, we get income through a transfer, which we can invest in scouting and new talent, among other things.
“In addition, there is again a free place in the squad that the next talent can take. It is a confirmation for us that we are on the right path.”
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