On Wednesday, Arsenal announced the signing of midfielder-forward Kai Havertz from Chelsea. According to the English press, this transfer is set to cost £65 million (R$397 million). The 24-year-old German will don the number 29 jersey for his new club.
He is the first acquisition announced by the Premier League runners-up for the upcoming season and a significant reinforcement for their Champions League campaign. Arsenal stated that the contract signing is still subject to some bureaucratic details and did not disclose the length of the agreement.
However, Havertz is expected to commit to his new team until 2028, marking his third club in his career. The German expressed his joy over the transfer and revealed his excitement about playing for Arsenal and representing the team in the next edition of the Champions League.
Havertz rose through the ranks at Leverkusen
Having come through the ranks at Bayer Leverkusen, where he played until 2020, Havertz spent the past three seasons with Chelsea. At the time, he became the most expensive player in the history of the Blues, with a fee of €80 million. Later, the young midfielder-forward was surpassed by Lukaku.
During his time at Chelsea, Havertz featured in 139 matches, scoring 32 goals and providing 13 assists. Among those 32 goals was the one that secured a 1-0 victory in the 2021 Champions League final against Manchester City, the pinnacle of his career. The player managed only nine goals and two assists in the last season and was even rumored to be headed to Real Madrid.
Chelsea finished the previous edition of the Premier League in 12th place, far from the qualification zone for continental competitions. This prompted cost-cutting measures for the 2023/24 season, leading to the sale of several players by the English club.
In this transfer window, the club has already negotiated the departure of midfielder Kanté to Al-Ittihad, as well as defender Koulibaly and goalkeeper Mendy. Ziyech and others are also expected to leave. On the other hand, Chelsea announced the signing of forward Nkunku, who was previously with RB Leipzig. In contrast, Arsenal finished second in the last Premier League season and has been pursuing significant signings.
