Borussia Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc has refused to pour fuel on transfer rumours linking Red Bull Salzburg forward Erling Braut Haaland with a move to the club.
The 19-year-old forward is considered to be one of Europe’s hottest properties, with a return of 28 goals in 21 outings this season sparking an expected scramble for the Norway international hitman, who is in possession of a release clause of just £17 million (€22m).
BVB are one of the clubs linked with a move for him, with the Bundesliga outfit having struggled with just one recognised centre-forward, the injury-prone Paco Alcacer, in the opening months of the season.
Zorc, however, does not want to comment too much on the matter, echoing the stance of RB Leipzig head coach Julian Nagelsmann, whose club have also been associated with the prolific scorer.
“The player belongs to RB Salzburg, it's a matter of respect that you do not speak publicly about players from other clubs, and I do not like that,” he is quoted by Kicker as having said.
Nevertheless, he did state that Haaland’s role is a position that his club are looking to fill when the January transfer window opens.
“We’re working on that, we still have some time,” he confirmed.
Dortmund have had a mixed season to date, with a thumping 5-0 win over Fortuna Dusseldorf on Saturday carrying them to third in the Bundesliga behind leaders Borussia Monchengladbach and RB Leipzig.
Their immediate attention, however, is on securing Champions League progress, with a home encounter against Slavia Prague on Tuesday set to decide their future in the competition when even a win may not be enough to progress.
On the transfer front, meanwhile, something of a crisis is brewing with regards the future of England international Jadon Sancho, who has been left upset after being omitted from the team in recent weeks, with a clutch of big clubs circling to compete for his signature.
Chelsea, for one, are ready to break the bank for the 19-year-old winger, while Manchester United are another closely monitoring how the situation develops in the weeks to come.
Zorc has said, however, there is “no scenario” that will see the England man leave.