Kai Havertz: Frank Lampard 'desperate' to sign player says expert
Marina Granovskaia has been contacting Bundesliga experts in an attempt to gain leverage for Chelsea in their pursuit of Kai Havertz, according to reports. The Blues are looking to sign the Bayer Leverkusen star this summer but will be sweating over the 21-year-old's fitness until it is possible to hold a medical.
Chelsea are in the midst of a squad overhaul and have already made a strong start with deals for Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner both finalised before the transfer window even opened.
The Blues have now turned their attention to Havertz and are thought to have agreed personal terms with the versatile attacker, who scored 17 goals and provided nine assists in all competitions this season.
Chelsea director Granovskaia must now negotiate a transfer fee with Leverkusen, and discussions are believed to be currently ongoing.
It has previously been reported that Leverkusen value their star man at €100million (£91m) while Chelsea see €70m (£63.8m) as a more accurate assessment.
Chelsea transfer news: Marina Granovskaia has been asking for advice about Kai Havertz (Image: GETTY)
It was suggested the Blues want to get the deal done as soon as possible so they could go as high as €80m (£72.9m) with their opening bid.
But now Granovskaia has supposedly been asking Bundesliga experts for advice on how to drive that price down.
SportBild claim the 45-year-old has been seeking out contacts in Germany in an attempt to gather leverage and put Chelsea in the strongest position possible for the transfer talks.
The fact that the Blues secured a top-four finish and Champions League qualification in the final game of the season greatly bolstered Granovskaia's hand before negotiations got underway.
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And Leverkusen also missed out on qualifying for the top tier of European football next term, meaning they may be more inclined to take what money they can get as the financial impact of the coronavirus crisis continues to make itself felt.
Despite signing Ziyech and Werner for a combined total of £86.4m, Chelsea have plenty of money in the bank due to their transfer ban last summer preventing cash from being splashed on new arrivals.
However, they will still be sweating over the potential breakdown of a deal for Havertz if the German international picks up an injury between now and the end of the campaign.
While the Bundesliga season is over, SportBild note that Leverkusen plan on Havertz participating in the club's Europa League fixtures until the competition's conclusion.
Chelsea transfer news: Granovskaia is in charge of transfers at Stamford Bridge (Image: GETTY)
The 21-year-old returned to training on Thursday in preparation for the unprecedented mini-tournament due to be held in North Rhine-Westphalia, where all remaining matches will be completed.
Conflicting reports have suggested Havertz will not play the second leg of Leverkusen's Round-of-16 clash with Rangers and any subsequent games, and is instead keen to push through his move to Chelsea.
This would be similar to Werner's decision at RB Leipzig, with the striker scoring a double in his final Bundesliga match to become the club's record goalscorer before opting out of the Champions League.
However, the Blues will not be able to hold a medical until the attacker has played his final game for the club so it remains to be seen whether Leverkusen and the player himself will risk an injury which could jeopardise a transfer.
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