Erling Haaland has dropped the strongest hint yet that he is to remain at Borussia Dortmund for the 2021-22 campaign after taking to social media to reveal he has begun pre-season with the club.
The Norway star enjoyed a superb sophomore season with the Bundesliga outfit last term, and amid a summer absence from Euro 2020, speculation has grown rife about his future.
A host of Premier League destinations, headed by Chelsea, have been mooted for the attacker, while Dortmund have been adamant that they will not sell him on - and now, Haaland looks to have indicated that he will be staying put for at least one more year.
What has been said?
The striker took to Twitter to confirm that he had started preparations for next season with Marco Rose's side, after he was absent for the initial start of club fitness tests on Monday.
"Day one," the 20-year-old confirmed on social media, before adding: "Ready for the journey."
Haaland was pictured in his training gear alongside the post, sporting a double thumbs-up gesture at the club's training ground in Brackel.
Haaland's future explained
Having reached an agreement to sell Jadon Sancho to Manchester United - bringing to an end a long-running transfer saga that stretches back well over a year - Dortmund have repeatedly insisted that they will not part ways with Haaland this summer.
The Leeds-born star is currently contracted with the club through 2024, having initially joined from Red Bull Salzburg in January 2020 on a four-and-a-half-year deal.
Yet it is believed that a €75 million (£64m/$89m) release clause in his contract becomes active at the end of next season, allowing rival clubs to potentially snap him up at a cut-price total compared to what his sale could command.
As such, several suitors could be content to wait - but others, led by Chelsea, are thought to be keen to get the jump on their rivals for Haaland's services, even if it means paying a higher fee this transfer window.
The bigger picture
If Dortmund indeed keep to their word and refuse to budge on any offers for Haaland, then the attacker will begin the new campaign with the Bundesliga giants as they look to build on last season's DFB-Pokal success.
With new boss Rose - who replaced interim manager Edin Terzic in May - now ushering in a new era, hopes are high that BVB will be able to challenge on multiple fronts in the upcoming season.
Dortmund will particularly look to seize upon the Bundesliga as they aim to take advantage of Bayern Munich's own managerial transition and press to break the latter's chokehold on the title.