Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel has admitted the club's ongoing interest in Borussia Dortmund goalscoring sensation Erling Haaland.
The Blues were regularly linked with a move for the Norwegian hitman throughout the summer, before eventually turning to Inter's Romelu Lukaku when it became clear the Bundesliga giants were unwilling to sell their prized asset, even for £150m.
Despite Lukaku's much-celebrated return, Chelsea are still expected to be among a gaggle of clubs battling for Haaland's signature in 2022 - especially once the 21-year-old's €75m-plus-bonuses release clause comes into play in January.
Speaking in an interview with SportsBild, Tuchel revealed that Haaland has been and is still 'regularly' a topic of discussion behind closed doors at Chelsea.
“We talked about Erling Haaland a couple of times, including during the transfer window," the German admitted. "But then it seemed absolutely unrealistic and not at all feasible.
“We talk about him regularly, of course, because he’s a fantastic player and clearly the defining figure at Dortmund, who is a big rival for us in the Champions League.”
Tuchel distanced the west London club from an imminent move, but suggested things could change in the near future.
“I don’t think we’ve been really serious about it yet, but let’s see what will happen in the next few weeks,” he added.
Manchester City and Real Madrid are believed to be the current frontrunners for Haaland's signature, but Chelsea will fancy their chances too given their financial might and the draw of challenging for major silverware.
Asked about the prospect of signing Haaland next summer with Lukaku already in the squad, Tuchel responded: “You mean two at the top [with] Lukaku and Haaland? We can talk about it [laughs]!”
90min revealed last month that the Norway international is in no rush to make a decision over his future, with the prodigious youngster certain to have his pick of Europe's top clubs.
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Source : 90min