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Kai Havertz is the rumor-man of the moment — Timo Who? — and this is only the start of what is promising to be a long and drawn-out saga that could stretch well into the late summer and early autumn.
Chelsea, after making a strong statement of intent by signing Hakim Ziyech and (probably) Timo Werner, are said to be leading the race for Havertz as well. But this situation is likely to be a lot more complicated than the other two, not least because Havertz does not have a buyout clause.
This puts his current team, Bayer Leverkusen, into a pretty solid position even with only two years left on the wonderkid’s contract. Bayer are therefore intent on either holding out for a reported €100m, or simply holding on to him for another season at least. (It’s a situation not at all dissimilar from Jadon Sancho’s at Borussia Dortmund.)
Bayer sports director Rudi Völler is confident that one way or another, this summer will see a good outcome for his team.
“[We’re] in a good position. [The speculation will only increase] if he keeps playing like he is now. [But] we have not given up hope that he will stay with us.
“We are trying to give him every opportunity to use his qualities. That’s made him outstanding in the second half of the season.”
-Rudi Völler; source: SportBuzzer via Google Translate
Havertz missed his second match in a row on Tuesday with some soreness in his knee — a precaution, apparently — but has been on absolute fire since the restart, scoring five times in just four games to bring him to 15 goals and 8 assists in 38 games in all competitions this season.
Not bad for someone who still doesn’t turn 21 until tomorrow (and isn’t actually a striker, per se).
Chelsea’s pursuit of Havertz remains firmly in the realm of speculation, despite the deluge of rumors over the last couple days. But he’s unlikely to stay with Bayer Leverkusen for too much longer, and whoever does end up getting him, probably won’t have wasted their €100m.