Reports have emerged that Kai Havertz, the Chelsea forward, has completed the initial part of his medical tests with Arsenal while a photo of him in his new kit has been leaked.
This all signals that his £65 million switch from Chelsea to Arsenal is moving closer to completion with the club getting the promo material ready.
- Kai Havertz has reportedly finished the initial part of his medical tests with Arsenal, as his transfer from Chelsea gets closer.
- Chelsea purchased Havertz in 2020 for £75m and he has since shown both exceptional talent and inconsistency.
- Arsenal scouted Kai Havertz in 2018, two years before his move to Chelsea but Arsene Wenger’s departure changed the club’s plans.
German international Kai Havertz seems to have completed his move from Chelsea to Arsenal as the player posed for his official announcement shots (yes, it’s a real photo).
He’s here 🤩 pic.twitter.com/YJbDy20QV5
— Mo (@MoArsenal86) June 26, 2023
This follows the recent report by Fabrizio Romano that the player has successfully completed the initial part of his medical with Arsenal.
It was suggested that the contracts will be signed by the Gunners within the week but it looks like it could be announced before Friday, which is when Arsenal usually like to do their announcements.
Havertz will sign a five-year deal and expected to wear the number 29 shirt on his Arsenal kit. This is the number he had at Chelsea and also wore at Bayer Leverkusen.
The number 29 Arsenal shirt number has previously been worn by Mattéo Guendouzi (18/19 – 19/20), Granit Xhaka (16/17 – 17/18), Kim Källström (13/14), Marouane Chamakh (10/11 – 12/13), Sebastian Larsson (05/06), Moritz Volz (02/03), Ashley Cole (00/01), Moritz Volz (00/01), Jermaine Pennant (98/99 – 00/01), and Stephen Hughes (94/95).
Read on for 2018 report
If you're happy and you know it… pic.twitter.com/kSwjhnsHv4
— Daily Cannon (@DailyCannon) June 26, 2023
Chelsea acquired Havertz from Bayer Leverkusen in 2020, in a record club deal of £75 million.
Havertz quickly became a fan favourite after scoring the winning goal in the 2021 Champions League final against Manchester City.
Despite this, Havertz’s form has been inconsistent, struggling to secure his preferred role in the starting 11.
Read on for 2018 report
Chelsea’s financial juggling act
Under the stewardship of American billionaire owner Todd Boehly, Chelsea have undergone a spending spree of over £600 million.
As a result, the club now finds itself needing to balance its books.
Havertz, despite ending the season as Chelsea’s joint top scorer with Raheem Sterling, is among those deemed surplus to the team’s requirements.
His pending transfer to Arsenal is viewed as part of this financial rebalancing act.
In addition to Havertz, several other players are expected to leave Chelsea.
Mateo Kovacic is on the brink of signing for Manchester City.
Meanwhile, N’Golo Kante has left for Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia, and Kalidou Koulibaly is now with Al-Hilal.
Rumours suggest that Edouard Mendy could soon be joining them.
Kai Havertz before Chelsea
Long before Havertz moved to Chelsea in 2020, Sven Mislintat sent Arsenal scouts to watch Kai Havertz when he was just 18.
Here is our report from then, dated 31 March 2018.
Sven Mislintat might have highlighted another young gem from the Bundesliga as Arsenal enter the race for 18-year-old Kai Havertz.
Arsenal’s scouts reportedly watched the Bayer Leverkusen youngster, who mainly plays as an attacking midfielder, a position that is like crack to Arsene Wenger.
Our scouts watched the Germany u19 captain in their seven-goal thriller against Norway during the international break, no doubt on the instruction of Arsenal’s head scout, Sven Mislintat.
Under contract until 2022, Havertz moved to Leverkusen’s youth setup when he was just 10-years-old and is now regarded as one of the best young prospects in the country.
The left-footer reportedly visited Liverpool’s training ground at Melwood earlier this season as Jurgen Klopp considered a January move for the talented teenager.
Leverkusen are, of course, reluctant to sell one of their young stars but it looks as if they will be fending off offers from a number of top clubs this summer.
The 6ft2 midfielder, who uses his height to great affect, has scored two and created seven in 23 league appearances this season.
While his defensive contribution leaves a lot to be desired, his ability on the ball and eye for a key pass makes him a very exciting player who can also play deeper and on the wing.
In fact, experts believe that his position as an attacking midfielder is not entirely settled even though Havertz names Mesut Ozil as a role model.
He’s not the only one to see similarities. Leverkusen sporting director and 1990 World Cup winner, Rudi Voller, said last year, “Kai’s a bit like Mesut Ozil, the way he strokes the ball, and the composure to make things look easy.
“He just has the gift, especially with his left foot. His ball control is just sensational.”
Aged just 17 years and 126 days when he made his debut, Havertz is the youngest player to ever play for Bayer Leverkusen’s first team.
He was also a substitute in their game against Tottenham at Wembley in the Champions League last season.
Leverkusen finished as runners up in their group, three points ahead of Spurs and Havertz, still only 17 at the time, missed Leverkusen’s last 16, second leg defeat due to his A-Level exams.
Arsene Wenger’s departure a few months later saw things change when it came to Arsenal’s interest in Havertz, but it never truly faded.
Early February 2019 saw Arsenal being linked again.
Then, nothing for seven months when it was reported that Arsenal were being told to pay £90m for him.
By April of 2020 it was being claimed that Havertz wanted to move to Bayern Munich rather than the Premier League before of course signing for Chelsea that summer for €80m.