Real Madrid leading the race to sign Borussia Dortmund wonderkid - Reports

According to Spanish publication AS, Real Madrid are in pole position to sign Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland this summer.

The 20-year-old is widely regarded as one of the most lethal centre-forwards in the game. Haaland scored 41 goals in the same number of games across all competitions for Borussia Dortmund last season. His good form has seen him linked to numerous European clubs including Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester United.

Real Madrid reportedly have a good chance of signing the young Norwegian. They are one of the few clubs who can afford to pay the astronomical fee Borussia Dortmund will ask for Haaland.

The Norwegian has a release clause in his contract, which can be activated next summer. If clubs want to sign Haaland ahead of next season, they will have to agree to the fee set by Dortmund.

Real Madrid 'are at the front of the queue to do a deal for Erling Haaland when he leaves Dortmund' https://t.co/nG1Qt8DKtV

— MailOnline Sport (@MailSport) May 27, 2021

Real Madrid have a good relationship with Borussia Dortmund

Over the last few years, Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans Joachim Watzke has had a cordial relationship with Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez. Due to this strong relationship, Borussia Dortmund will give Real Madrid priority when it comes to signing Erling Haaland.

Dortmund had previously given Real Madrid priority when the club wanted to sell Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang back in 2018. However, Los Blancos were not interested in signing Aubameyang at the time, which allowed Arsenal to land him.

Real Madrid have also loaned out Achraf Hakimi and Reinier Jesus to the Westfalenstadion in recent years.

Haaland has scored 41 goals this season. (Photo by Sascha Steinbach - Pool/Getty Images)

According to AS, Erling Haaland will not force a move away from Borussia Dortmund in the summer. It might have been a different story, though, had BVB had failed to qualify for the Champions League.

Real Madrid are already arranging funds to sign either Erling Haaland or Kylian Mbappe this summer. According to Sky Sports, Los Blancos are ready to sell Eden Hazard and Gareth Bale to free up some funds for their top transfer targets.

Real Madrid will listen to offers for Eden Hazard and Gareth Bale this summer amid their continued interest in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland.

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) May 24, 2021

Real Madrid are in dire need of a new centre-forward as the club are still relying on an aging Karim Benzema for goals.

The Spanish giants have tried to sign a replacement for Benzema in the form of Luka Jovic and Mariano Diaz to no avail. However, the duo have failed to live up to expectations at the Santiago Bernabéu.