Bayern Munich, not Chelsea ‘in pole position’ for Kai Havertz — report

Everyone got quite excited when Chelsea were said to be going “all out” for Bayer Leverkusen’s generational talent, Kai Havertz, but despite our statement-making intentions this summer — Hakim Ziyech! Timo Werner! ...and? — signing Havertz is far from a foregone conclusion.

In fact, it could be anything but that, with the Telegraph reporting today that those pesky little upstarts from Bavaria are actually the closest at the moment, as they tend to be for all the best players in the Bundesliga.

That’s not necessarily a problem — Chelsea were late to the Timo Werner game as well, and still managed to beat out Liverpool for the striker’s signature — but it is a concern here since Bayern usually are able to hoover up any Bundesliga talent they choose. Werner was an exception in that case as well, but the 21-year-old Havertz has been linked with Bayern since his emergence as a Leverkusen regular in 2016-17. And now they look ready to complete a £75m move for him — slightly below Leverkusen’s asking price because Bayern-discount.

Whether Bayern’s intentions are real or are just negotiating tactics, the onus is on Chelsea to make a move if we want in on the type of player who doesn’t come along every day.