'I want to focus on football' - Dortmund pressuring Haaland to make decision on future

Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland said the club have been pressing him to make a decision about his future and therefore "things will happen now", as the Norwegian continues to attract interest from several top European sides.

The 21-year-old, who has scored 21 goals this season, joined Dortmund from RB Salzburg in 2020 and has gone on to establish himself as one of the continent's hottest properties.

"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," Haaland, who scored twice in Dortmund's 5-1 win over Freiburg on Friday, told Norwegian broadcaster Viaplay.

"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."

"That is what they (Dortmund) want. It means things will happen now."

Haaland, whose contract runs until 2024, added that he would have preferred to focus on football instead of being distracted by talk of his future during a busy run of fixtures for Dortmund, who trail Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich by three points.

"We are in the middle of a difficult period, with a lot of games," Haaland said.

"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."

Haaland's comments found their way to Dortmund executive Hans-Joachim Watzke, who downplayed the idea of a spat between the two but confirmed that the club do not plan to wait much longer.

"He is a spontaneous person, a young lad. He's allowed to [speak out]," Watzke told Ruhr Nachrichten. "There is no problem with Erling. But he must also have some understanding of our situation. We can't wait until the end of May."