<
>

Erling Haaland: Borussia Dortmund pressuring me to choose next club, 'things will happen now'

Borussia Dortmund forward Erling Haaland said the German side are pressuring him to choose a new club this summer.

Haaland, 21, is one of the most sought-after players in world football with top clubs in the Premier League as well as Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain interested in his signing, according to ESPN, and he is expected to leave Dortmund at the end of the season.

- ESPN+ viewers' guide: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, FA Cup, more (U.S.)

Speaking after his side's 5-1 win over Freiburg in which he scored twice, Haaland told Norwegian TV channel Viaplay: "The last six months I have chosen not to say anything out of respect for Dortmund, but now the club has started to press me into making a decision.

"All I want to do is play football. But they press me about my future, so that means I have to make a decision soon."

Pressed on whether that means he could announce his next destination soon, Haaland added: "That is what they [Dortmund] want. It means things will happen now. They have started to put a lot of pressure on me, and I have to accept that ... so now is the time to get things started."

Haaland was asked when would be the ideal time for him to make this decision and responded: "Not now because we are in the middle of a difficult period, with a lot of games. I have said from the beginning that I want to focus on football, because that is when I am at my best. But I can't do that now."

Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke played down reports of a row between the club and player but did not deny Haaland's claims that he was being pushed into a decision.

"There's no problem with Erling," Watzke told Dortmund newspaper Ruhr Nachrichten. "He is a spontaneous person. He's allowed to do that. But he must also have some understanding for our situation -- we can't wait until the end of May."

Dortmund's win brought them to within three points of leaders Bayern, who have a game in hand. They face St. Pauli in the DFB-Pokal round of 16 on Tuesday; they are also competing in Europa League and must overcome Rangers in the playoffs.