Many believe that Havertz has not met expectations since joining Chelsea from Bayer Leverkusen in 2020. As a result, Chelsea may be open to selling him before the start of the 2023-24 season. With only two years left on his contract, Chelsea cannot demand an extremely high fee, but they still want to make a profit on the £68.4 million they paid for him three years ago.
According to The Telegraph, Arsenal has intensified their efforts to sign Havertz and made an initial bid to Chelsea, which was quickly turned down. Chelsea apparently wants at least £70 million for the 24-year-old, a price that Arsenal is not currently willing to pay. However, Arsenal hopes to negotiate a lower price.
It is expected that Arsenal will come back with an improved offer. There are doubts as to whether Chelsea can hold firm on their asking price, considering their need to balance their financial situation.
The report also mentions that Havertz does not plan to extend his contract beyond 2025, and Chelsea is willing to let him join their London rivals for a suitable fee during the current transfer window. Bayern Munich is also monitoring the situation closely.
Havertz is believed to earn £250,000 per week at Chelsea. Arsenal is ready to match that salary, and it is expected that personal terms will not be an obstacle since Havertz is reportedly interested in the move.
Since joining Chelsea, Havertz has scored 32 goals and provided 15 assists in 139 games across all competitions, including the winning goal in the 2020-21 Champions League final. He has also won the Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup with Chelsea. However, during the 2022-23 season, he only scored nine goals in 47 games. In the Premier League, he scored seven goals in 35 appearances and failed to score in his last nine league matches. Nevertheless, he finished the season as Chelsea's joint-top scorer alongside Raheem Sterling.
It is unclear where Havertz would fit in at Arsenal, as they already have several options in the center-forward position. They have Gabriel Jesus, Eddie Nketiah, and Leandro Trossard, although Folarin Balogun may be leaving soon.
