Chelsea have been handed a massive boost in their hopes of signing Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Kai Havertz this summer.
The Germany international, who turned 21 last month, has been heavily linked with a moved to Stamford Bridge over the last few months, with Blues head coach Frank Lampard desperate to land his signature.
Havertz, who has wowed the Bundesliga this season with skill and maturity for such a young player, is wanted by a whole host of big-name European clubs, including the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Real Madrid.
The youngster, who has previously admitted that he would be open to the idea of sealing a move to the Premier League, has been nothing short of outstanding this season for Leverkusen, scoring 16 goals and claiming nine assists in 42 appearances in all competitions.
It is that sort of form that has led to a plethora of clubs chasing his signature, with Chelsea understood to be amongst the front-runners in the race to land him ahead of the start of next season.
And the Blues, who will be looking to get back to winning ways when they welcome Watford to Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening, have now been handed an encouraging boost by Leverkusen's sporting director, Rudi Voller.
Voller has revealed that Leverkusen have an agreement in place with Havertz that will allow him to leave the Bay Arena this summer.
"We have an agreement - if it fits, he can go this summer," Voller told German media outlet Bild.
"As of now, he is a player of ours. We have our ideas, we know what he can do. I personally hope that he stays one more year.
"Of course, you can't force anyone. Havertz knows what he owes to his colleagues, the fans and the club."
This news comes not long after Bayern Munich ruled themselves out of the running to sign Havertz, who would have been aiming to help Germany at this summer's European Championships had they not been called off because of the coronavirus pandemic, after their CEO, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, admitted that the German giants would not be able to afford a deal.
Rimmenigge said: "We have a really big financial challenge ahead of us.
"Even if we wanted the player, we could not finance it this year."
