Chelsea target Erling Haaland refused to commit his future to Borussia Dortmund in the cheekiest way possible when asked by German media this week - fuelling more speculation of a move to Stamford Bridge.
The Norweigan international has one of the most sought-after signatures in world football right now after scoring an impressive 48 times inside 51 games for club and country last season.
And as a result of that stellar form, Chelsea are reportedly prepared to make an opening bid of £135m for the 20-year-old this summer - but Dortmund will only let their prized asset leave for £150m.
Chelsea spent big money on players such as Timo Werner and Kai Havertz last summer and owner Roman Abramovich is willing to strengthen his squad again with the acquisition of Haaland.
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Haaland, who is widely regarded as one of the best strikers in the world right now, is Chelsea's number one transfer target before the new Premier League season as Thomas Tuchel looks to bring in a new poacher.
With the Blues' intentions known, Christian Falk, a journalist for German newspaper Bild, claims the publication asked Haaland if he was staying at Dortmund - and his response was as cheeky as you can imagine.
According to Falk, the Norway captain reportedly smiled at him and said nothing, missing an opportunity to quash any rumours. Make of that what you will.
Of course, Haaland might not be in the mood to talk about constant transfer gossip that has been going on for months, but he could have simply stated that he wanted to stay at Dortmund when asked.
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The German giants have already agreed to sell winger Jadon Sancho to Manchester United for a reported £73m, with the deal expected to be confirmed shortly.
As for Haaland, well, he is under contract until the summer of 2024 after penning a long-term deal with Dortmund - but he does have a £70m release clause in his contract which can be activated next summer.
But will Chelsea have the funds to claw him away during this summer's transfer window? Only time will tell.
Topics: Chelsea, Erling Haaland, Borussia Dortmund
