KAI HAVERTZ is ready to leave Chelsea to join a Premier League rival, reports say.
The German looks set to leave Stamford Bridge this season as the West Londoners want to clear out their squad.
Arsenal and Manchester City are among those linked with Havertz.
But according to Fabrizio Romano, the forward has given the “green light” for Arsenal to bid for him.
Chelsea bought Havertz from Bayer Leverkusen in 2020 for £75million in what was a then-club record deal.
And he made himself a hero amongst fans after scoring the winning goal in the 2021 Champions League final against City.
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But Havertz has endured inconsistent form since, struggling to find his favoured role within the starting 11.
He ended last season as Chelsea’s joint top scorer with Raheem Sterling, managing just nine in all competitions.
The Blues have spent over £600MILLION under billionaire American owner Todd Boehly.
But it has left them needing to shift players to both ease space in the squad and balance the books.
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Incoming manager Mauricio Pochettino looks set to prioritise signing a striker in the summer sales.
But it leaves Havertz facing the boot with Real Madrid the first to register an interest in the wantaway attacker.
Although the Spanish giants were unwilling to match Chelsea’s £75m asking price, since cooling their interest.
Personal terms do not appear to be an issue with Arsenal but like Real, the Gunners will not meet Chelsea’s demands.
So the Blues board will need to be flexible with their negotiations, while Bayern Munich are yet to enter the race.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
