Chelsea are reportedly preparing to test Borussia Dortmund's nerve with an enormous bid for Erling Haaland this summer.
The 20-year-old prodigy, widely regarded as one of the best strikers in the world, has seen his stock rise tremendously after scoring an impressive 48 times inside 51 games for club and country last season.
As a result of that stellar form, Chelsea were believed to have made an offer for Haaland earlier this month before being almost immediately rejected by Dortmund, with the Bundesliga giants remaining hellbent on keeping their prized asset.
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But according to 90min, the Blues are not taking no for an answer and are readying a monster bid for the Norway captain, despite Dortmund's public insistence that they are not interested in listening to bids this summer.
That rumour has since been backed up by transfer specialist Jan Aage Fjortoft, who told ESPN that a "fantasy bid" worth around €175m (£150m) is set to arrive on Dortmund's desk soon.
"Chelsea have him as their main target," Fjortoft said.
"They would like to test Dortmund with a fantasy offer, and a fantasy offer will be around [€175m] - double what they can get for him next summer."
If Chelsea do sign the 20-year-old this transfer window, they will be fully aware that there will be hefty agent fees to pay out to both Mino Raiola and Haaland's father, Alf-Inge.
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On the other hand, if they are unable to sign him, the Blues have other striker alternatives in place with Roman Abramovich keen on splashing the cash before the new Premier League season.
It is believed that Chelsea could turn to two other expensive targets in Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski and wantaway Tottenham Hotspur forward Harry Kane.
And if the Blues fail there, then the west London club also have Villarreal talisman and Spain international Gerard Moreno on their radar. How's that for a contingency plan?
Featured Image Credit: PA ImagesTopics: Chelsea, Erling Haaland, Borussia Dortmund