Manchester United have allegedly pulled out of the running to land Kai Havertz, giving Chelsea a clear shot at the Bayer Leverkusen gem.
Chelsea are eager to sign Kai and opened talks with Leverkusen last week hoping to seal a £75 million deal for the youngster. Leverkusen are ready to sell Havertz and were hoping a bidding war might erupt for their key man.
But the Daily Star claim United have shelved plans to land Havertz this summer so they can focus on sealing the transfer of Ajax star Donny van de Beek. The Dutchman has attracted interest from the world’s biggest teams in the last 12 months and will reportedly cost around £44 million.
That is a figure significantly lower than Kai, who has provided the same number of assists (7) as Donny and netted just one more goal (15) than his fellow midfielder.
United’s move to Van de Beek will be a big boost to manager Frank Lampard, who has already secured the signature of Ajax playmaker Hakim Ziyech and is closing in on the signing of Timo Werner.
Chelsea have agreed to terms with RB Leipzig for the forward, with the Blues set to spend big in the next window in spite of the coronavirus pandemic.
The 21-year-old is ready for the next step in his professional career but is wary of being demoted to the bench at a new team with the European Championships rescheduled to next summer.