According to Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg, personal terms are “advanced” for both players and Arsenal is “very confident” of acquiring Kai Havertz coupled with a bid for Declan Rice.
Kai Havertz has scored how many goals thus far?
Havertz, who had the weight of the world on his shoulders when he left Bayer Leverkusen for Chelsea back in 2020, hasn’t exactly lived up to expectations in the Premier League, it’s fair to say.
The 24-year-old has played 91 times in the top division, scoring 19 goals and dishing out ten assists. Despite this, he has continued to shine for Germany, scoring 13 goals in 35 matches for his country.
He ranks highly among forwards in the big five leagues for a number of metrics, including passing, dribbling, and tackling, which suggests that he still has a lot of untapped potential. If he can develop some end results as he matures, he could still be a top player.
And Mikel Arteta obviously agrees, as recent rumors indicate that the trade is “in advanced stages” with the manager personally intervening to “push” it.
Plettenberg of Sky Germany reports as follows: “News Havertz: Arsenal is reportedly quite optimistic in signing both Rice and Havertz! Even though Chelsea turned down the initial offer. Havertz is being pushed by Arteta!
Arsenal has proceeded in their negotiations with both players. Bayern has not yet made a bid for Havertz. Arsenal is preparing the following actions. The next week is when Bayern will hold their next transfer meeting.
Would acquiring Havertz be a wise move?
Thomas Tuchel’s interest in Havertz at Bayern is hardly surprising given what the former Blues manager said back in March of last year: “What he brings us is great volume. He covers a lot of ground and does so at a high rate of intensity, therefore he finds the distances and the intensity regardless of the defense strategy used by the opposition to stop us.
BT Sport pundit Owen Hargreaves believes Havertz is a “brilliant” player with elite “courage and composure”, while Graham Potter has hailed his “fantastic” talent.
Clearly then, Arsenal would be getting a player who is extremely highly thought of in the game, and his ability to operate in six different positions across midfield and attack means his arrival would add depth in a multitude of areas for the Gunners.