Arsenal have made an opening proposal to sign Kai Havertz and appear to be leading the race for the signing, but they remain short of Chelsea’s valuation.

Rumours of Arsenal interest in Kai Havertz have been building over the last week, with The Byline breaking the news of Arsenal’s pursuit, and The Telegraph, Arseblog, and Charles Watts confirming the reports as genuine.

Those rumours then came to the fore on Wednesday, as David Ornstein reported that Arsenal had made an opening proposal for Havertz.

Writing for The Athletic, Ornstein confirmed that Arsenal were stepping up their pursuit following contact with Chelsea and Havertz himself, though the potential transfer is still in the early stages.

Ornstein added that Bayern Munich are also admirers of Havertz, who is about to enter the final two years of his contract. Chelsea would ideally like to extend his deal or sell him.

Jordan Campbell added for the same outlet that Arsenal see Havertz as a quality player who can play several roles in their system.

Arsenal feel Havertz offers different attributes to their current forwards and fits the club’s long-term strategy – having just turned 24 at the weekend.

Fabrizio Romano confirms that Arsenal are in talks to sign Havertz, adding that the club have had positive conversations on the player’s side, with Havertz keen on the move.

Romano claims Chelsea want around £75m for Havertz, which Arsenal will not pay.

But one boost for the Gunners in Romano’s update is that Real Madrid talks are currently off, reducing the competition for the signature.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano clarified that whilst Chelsea told Arsenal they want £70-75m, sources close to the negotiation believe it’s possible to do a deal for less.

Sami Mokbel of the Daily Mail reports that Chelsea want £70m for Havertz, whilst Arsenal are willing to go to £60m after including add-ons.

Personal terms won’t be an issue, with Arsenal willing to pay Havertz in excess of £200,000 a week, and the player aware of the interest and keen to join.

From Germany, Florian Plettenberg claims Bayern Munich aren’t currently planning to enter the race, despite the reports in the English media.

Plettenberg claims a move to Arsenal is more realistic for the German international than Real Madrid, with talks proceeding well.

Whilst from a Chelsea perspective, the Evening Standard’s Chelsea correspondent Nizaar Kinsella claims the Blues are prepared to do business.

Kinsella again writes that Chelsea are demanding up to £70m, but Arsenal are hoping that the financial difficulties of their London rivals will bring the price down.

Chelsea need to sell players before June 30th, if they want to include the sales in their books for the current financial year.

After their major spending spree this year, their low finish in the Premier League table, and their failure to qualify for European competition, they’re looking to cash in.

We’ll find out whether that leads to a deal with Arsenal in the next couple of weeks.

Havertz is currently away with Germany for the international break, and he scored one and assisted one in their friendly against Ukraine on Monday, with further games away to Poland and at home to Colombia still to come.

With Euro 2024 to be hosted in Germany, their national team have no qualifiers to play over the break, hence the raft of friendlies.