It was only in May that The Athletic‘s Chelsea correspondent Simon Johnson stated that Chelsea’s hopes of signing Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland had all but gone.

In an article, the reliable journalist had said that while the London club had been working on the transfer since January, Dortmund’s qualification for the Champions League meant that the Blues stood little chance of snapping up the forward.

It wasn’t long, though, before there was fresh optimism that a deal could be struck, following the Blues’ sensational win against Manchester City in Porto.

Chelsea had become a much more attractive destination after being crowned European champions for the second time…