Kai Havertz ‘should be in the Premier League’ says pundit
Chelsea and Bayer Leverkusen are £15m apart as Frank Lampard looks to beat Liverpool and Manchester United to Kai Havertz's signature. Express Sport understands the Blues boss wants to bring in the midfielder once the impending deal for RB Leipzig forward Timo Werner is wrapped up.
Chelsea chiefs, though, are only willing to stump up £75m for Havertz, who was named in Leverkusen's starting XI to face Schalke on Sunday.
Leverkusen have slapped a £90m price tag on the 21-year-old, who had scored five goals in his first four games following the Bundesliga restart in May.
Chelsea transfer maestro Marina Granovskaia will have to negotiate with her Leverkusen counterparts to strike an agreement.
Otherwise, Lampard might be forced to see Havertz rock up at one of Chelsea's Premier League rivals ahead of next season.
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Chelsea transfer target Kai Havertz is in demand across Europe (Image: GETTY)
He might just be worth that, though, with comparisons already being drawn to former Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack.
Ballack, who moved from Bayern Munich to Stamford Bridge in 2006, has been impressed by Havertz's rise at his old side.
However, he believes the Aachen-born ace has plenty of development to go before he'll be the complete package and ready to ply his trade for one of Europe's elite sides.
"He's very talented, has outstanding technical ability and plays very freely," Ballack said. "But one thing is clear: Havertz is not yet a finished product.