Arsenal have officially confirmed the signing of Kai Havertz from Chelsea.
Having agreed personal terms weeks ago, The German international has signed a five-year deal and will wear the number 29 shirt at The Gunners, who will pay their London rivals a fee believed to be £65m for his services, as per Sky Sports.
Chelsea are said to be satisfied with the deal, having been prepared to sell 24-year-old for several weeks, following both parties willingness to try something new.
Since joining The Blues for €80m from Bayer Leverkusen in September 2020, the versatile forward has struggled to nail down his best position at Stamford Bridge, scoring 32 goals and making 15 assists in 139 appearances- the most notable of which was in the 2020/21 Champions League final, where he scored the winning goal in a 1-0 victory vs Manchester City to secure his side their second ever Champions League trophy.
Mikel Arteta’s side will pay a fee slightly above Havertz’s current market value of €55m, but will hope that he can display the same form at The Emirates that he did at Leverkusen in the Bundesliga- which saw him reach highs of a €90m market valuation in June 2019, as per Transfermarkt.
The deal marks the first signing of the summer for last season’s Premier League runners-up, as they now focus their attention on strengthening other areas of their squad for next season. After having several bids rejected by West Ham, Declan Rice now looks set to join the incoming German at The Reds this summer, after The Hammers eventually accepted The London side’s £105 bid for the England international.
Travis Levison | Get Football
