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Football London
Football London
Sport
Oliver Harbord

Chelsea ramp up Kai Havertz transfer pursuit but two key issues to completing deal remain

After Chelsea sealed the transfers of Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech, the Blues have moved their focus towards to Kai Havertz.

The 21-year-old has had another excellent season in the Bundesliga, netting 12 league goals for Bayer Leverkusen and adding six assists.

Havertz has become one of the top forwards in the Europe and, in the meantime, is now one of the top targets for clubs.

One of the front runners for his signature was fellow German side Bayern Munich, who had been keen on the youngster.

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However, the Bundesliga champions have decided instead to bring in Leroy Sane from Manchester City, a deal they secured last week.

That has taken them out of the race for Havertz and has left a move to either the Premier League or La Liga a major possibility.

According to German media, Havertz is ready to leave Bayer Leverkusen this summer, with the club having failed to qualify for next season's Champions League and then losing the German Cup final to Bayern.

Havertz is reported to hold meetings with his club this week to tell them his desire to move on and hope that Leverkusen facilitate the move.

It puts Chelsea in a strong position. The Blues certainly have an eye on the Germany international as Frank Lampard continues to build a new squad.

Werner and Ziyech are set to become key members of a new squad, building from the youth and hoping to create a fresh dynasty at Stamford Bridge.

Lampard also wants Havertz to be part of that revolution, with Roman Abramovich currently backing his head coach's ambitions.

There are some issues with the deal. The first will be the cost, with Havertz not expected to go from Leverkusen for cheap, the with the German side holding the cards over his contract.

The forward still has two years left on his deal with the club, and Leverkusen are not in a position where they have to sell right now.

(Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

Havertz is keen on a move away, though, and he is expected to push for a deal, but it could cost any club around £90million to sign him.

Werner was an easier deal to get over the line with the £47.5m release clause in his contract meaning the Blues were able to negotiate just with the player.

Marina Granovskaia will have to work her magic on negotiating with Leverkusen to get the best deal for the club, which is expected to push the Blues to the limits.

The other issue is going to be Chelsea's end to the campaign as they fight for a spot in next season's Champions League.

If the Blues get a top four spot, then that will have a great chance of convincing Havertz that the Blues is the right destination for him.

After the win over Crystal Palace, Lampard's side are now third in the Premier League, taking a big step forward to qualifying for next season's top flight of European football.

Chelsea have become the front runners for Havertz's signature and are looking at making a move to seal the deal for the German.

It won't be an easy transfer to get over the line, but the Blues are expected to attempt to add Havertz to Lampard's revolution.

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