Several clubs are reported to be monitoring the situation of Kai Havertz at Arsenal as the Gunners continue their push to sign a new striker.
Arsenal paid £65 million ($85 million at the time) to sign Havertz from Chelsea in the summer of 2023, with manager Mikel Arteta envisaging the German as a midfielder. The experiment was abandoned in the second half of that season as Havertz returned to his previous position as a central striker.
After 13 goals in his debut year, Havertz managed nine in an injury-hit campaign this past year, and he faces a battle for minutes if Arsenal succeed in their well-publicised pursuit of a more natural forward. Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyökeres and RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Šeško are among the top names under consideration.
BBC Sport note that Arsenal are planning on selling an established first-team player inside the next 12 months and highlight the uncertainty surrounding Havertz, who has three years remaining on his contract.
While there is not thought to be any significant interest in the 26-year-old now, several clubs in Germany are said to be watching Havertz with keen eyes as they wait to see how his role at Arsenal will be impacted by a new striker.
Havertz is versatile enough to feature in a number of different positions for Arsenal, but most of those areas also include some of the Gunners’ top talents. Bukayo Saka is the undisputed starter on the right wing, while a return to midfield seems unlikely with the impending arrival of Martín Zubimendi from Real Sociedad.
Should he find himself struggling for a starting role, Havertz could be forced to consider his future next summer, when there may be no shortage of sides looking to take advantage.
From Arsenal’s perspective, they will be reluctant to lose Havertz this year, particularly with Gabriel Jesus set to miss a large portion of the upcoming campaign with a knee injury, but their apparent desire to sell a big name could see their stance soften next summer.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Kai Havertz: Clubs ‘Monitoring’ Arsenal Star Over Striker Transfer Saga.
