£100m Liverpool, Man Utd target urged to stay put by Ballack

Kai.Havertz.Leverkusen.TEAMtalk

Liverpool and Man Utd target Kai Havertz has been told to remain at Bayer Leverkusen by Michael Ballack.

The 20-year-old looks set to leave Bayer Leverkusen this summer, with a number of Europe’s top clubs circling for a player who could cost as much as £100million.

Standard Sport reported last month that Manchester United were tracking Havertz to pair him with Bruno Fernandes, while both Chelsea and Liverpool have been linked with the attacking midfielder.

Frank Lampard’s Blues are said to be considering Havertz as a Plan B to Barcelona’s Philippe Coutinho, while Jurgen Klopp has been tracking the young midfielder throughout his career and is a big fan.

Dietmar Hamann has hailed Havertz as an “exceptional” player who claimed he even reminded him of a “young Michael Ballack”.

Former Germany star Ballack, who left Leverksuen for Bayern in 2002, thinks the player is developing nicely at Bayer and thinks mooted move to Bayern Munich maybe a step too far too soon.

“Players with his quality are in demand everywhere, but I think he’s in good hands in Leverkusen,” the former midfielder told SportBild.

“The general conditions there are perfect for top young players and their further development. Leverkusen play attractive football, the training opportunities are very good. Leverkusen also offers a cautious environment.

 

 

 

“As a player [at Leverkusen] you can sometimes make mistakes without being the focus of criticism – you should appreciate that. Of course, a player like Havertz would also like to play in the Champions League, so it would be important for Leverkusen to qualify.

“As a footballer he’d bring everything with him,” he said. “If we talk about Bayern, if you want to take the next step as a player, you also have to be prepared for such a challenge in order to survive in such a robust environment. That will really weigh up his surroundings – [determine] when the right time has come to take the next step.”