According to the Express via Bild (subscription required), Chelsea are working on securing the signature of transfer target Kai Havertz by August 28 with the Blues and Leverkusen wanting a deal sorted soon.
Bild report that Leverkusen have urged the west London outfit to now table a formal written offer for the 21-year-old, with Chelsea wishing to sign the attacker before the German outfit’s pre-season starts.
Leverkusen will begin preparations for next season on August 28, leaving Chelsea with 10 days to secure the Germany international’s signature, with both sides yet to agree a transfer fee for the starlet.
It’s reported that the Bundesliga side value Havertz at £90m, however Chelsea are only willing to part with £70m to bring the versatile attacker to Stamford Bridge.
The Express’ report via Bild also reiterates that Chelsea are in a unique position to sign Havertz, as European powerhouses like Real Madrid and Bayern Munich can’t afford to recruit the ace this summer.
This certainly explains why Frank Lampard’s side wish to seal a deal as soon as possible, as the aforementioned sides would be extremely hard to compete with if a deal isn’t done this summer.
Agreeing personal terms does not seem as though it will be a problem with RMC Sport’s Mohamed Bouhafsi actually reporting last week that a five-year contract has been agreed with Havertz.
Journalist Kevin Palmer hinted yesterday that the only stumbling block at the moment is structure of performance-related bonuses included in the deal.
With the Premier League restarting on September 12, there’s no doubt that it would be a massive boost if the Blues were able to capture Havertz as quickly as possible to get the talent up to speed and allow him more time to settle.
Havertz scored 18 goals and contributed nine assists this season, with the versatile attacker notching a goal in Leverkusen’s final game of the season as they lost to Inter Milan in the Europa League.
Chelsea have already secured the signings of Havertz’s international teammate Timo Werner and playmaker Hakim Ziyech, with the side’s attack shaping up to be very dangerous next season.