Update: One-time Bayern Munich target Sébastien Haller moves to Borussia Dortmund

Bayern Munich’s chief rivals are getting stronger. Borussia Dortmund are reportedly on the verge of securing Sébastian Haller from the Eredivisie’s AFC Ajax as their new striker. For Bayern, clarity may slowly be emerging in their own search for a Robert Lewandowski replacement.

Per Sport1 and Telegraaf, Dortmund have lodged a €33m offer that will be hard to refuse, and have agreed personal terms with Haller for a five-year contract through 2027. He’ll be the club’s — and the Bundesliga’s — answer to the Erling Haaland departure.

Haller had previously been linked to Bayern as well. And Bayern and Dortmund were rumored to be the heavyweight contenders for towering Stuttgart center-forward Saša Kalajdžić.

With Dortmund settling on the Ajax hitman, Bayern would thus seem to have the inside track on Kalajdžić — and head coach Julian Nagelsmann is apparently a fan. But it could equally be an invitation for other teams rumored to be circling, among them AS Roma, per Corriere dello Sport, and Tottenham, Manchester United, Leicester, and Chelsea, per Transfermarkt. The interest in Kalajdžić may be just ramping up, and if Bayern hesitate while other business is pending, they may soon find they’ve waited too long once again.

Wherever the next twists and turns of the transfer season take us, Haller’s arrival will be a boon for the Bundesliga. Hopefully, one talented striker and one impressive offseason won’t be enough for Dortmund to knock Bayern off its perch. But quality like this in competition? Always welcome.

Now for a new striker to call our own.

Update (June 23)

Haller to Dortmund is just about wrapped up, per Fabrizio Romano: