Chelsea in concrete talks for Havertz as key factor edges out Man Utd
Chelsea’s summer of spending shows no signs of abating after it was claimed they are already in talks over a deal for Kai Havertz.
Havertz is a man in demand, not in least because of his five goals in four games since the resumption of the Bundesliga.
Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Man Utd and Liverpool are believed to be interested in the midfielder, although the Reds may well be out of the race after Jurgen Klopp admitted the Reds are unlikely to make any major signings this summer.
That admission came after Liverpool opted against a deal to sign Timo Werner. And their delay let in Chelsea, who didn’t have any issues opposing his £53m exit clause. The Blues have also signed Hakim Ziyech from Ajax in a £33m deal.
But it is Chelsea’s capture of Werner, who is close friends with Havertz, that looks set to turn the tide their way. According to reports, Werner’s impending move to Stamford Bridge has alerted Havertz, who is keen to link-up with him in London.
As per the Daily Express, Chelsea have now ‘stolen a march’ on United and have now held ‘concrete talks’ over his signing.
That follows claims on Thursday from German football expert Christian Falk, who also suggested Chelsea headed the race.
“I have heard from my sources that United’s management is ready to invest €300million to build a new team,” Falk told utdreport.
“Manchester United is an option for Kai Havertz, because his management have been told about the big plans of the new team. But, Chelsea are more concrete in the talks at the moment.
“Perhaps Chelsea are again faster than United, like in the case of Timo Werner.”
Bayer Leverkusen value Havertz at at least €80m (£71.1m) and do seem hopeful of keeping their man.
“We haven’t given up hope that he’ll stay with us,” sporting director Rudi Voller told ARD.
“We try to give him every possibility that he can call up his qualities.
“He did an outstanding job in the second half of the season.”
Havertz ready to move abroad
Havertz is contracted to Bayer until 2022, but does appear ready to make the move abroad.
“I’m ready to take a big step, and I like challenges. For me, this also includes abroad,” Havertz recently told SportBild.
“Leverkusen are a great club, I feel good. I have always said that. But of course I want to take the next step in my career at some point. That’s my ambition.
“The coach is a very important person for me. It must be a good fit. You can see that with our coach, Peter Bosz. For me, the sporting direction of the club is also reflected in the choice of coach.”
Chelsea are also closing on a deal to sign Ben Chilwell, according to Saturday’s Paper Talk. The good news is the fee could be less than initially feared.
