Chelsea: Pundit sends warning over Kai Havertz transfer
Chelsea reportedly have Antonio Rudiger, Timo Werner and Michael Ballack trying to talk Kai Havertz into moving to Stamford Bridge. The Bayer Leverkusen star is Frank Lampard’s No 1 transfer target. But the Blues are hoping to land the playmaker for less than his huge £90million asking price.
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And club legend Ballack, who spent a successful spell at the Bridge during his playing days, has also been on a charm offensive.
Whether Chelsea sign Havertz remains to be seen.
But there’s an expectancy that they’ll get a deal for the midfielder done once Leverkusen’s Europa League campaign is finished, with the German team in action against Rangers on Thursday night (5.55pm).
Former Chelsea boss Avram Grant recently had his say on Havertz and insisted Roman Abramovich would fund a deal - if he really wants it.
He said: "Abramovich didn't have a problem with money before! When he wants something, he buys it.
"He doesn't do things to save money. Whether they have more or less money, I don't think it's important.
"What I think is important is that they started to use the academy.
“They spent so much money on it and they didn't give anyone a chance [before]. My policy at Chelsea was that we wanted one third of the squad as under-21 players, because you cannot invest a lot into the academy and not give them a chance.
"Now, not as a policy, they gave them a chance, and Frank has done a great job.
“Michael Emenalo, a director, was always complaining that we invested a lot of money in them [academy players] but we don't give them a chance.
"When you have a good young player, they can develop a lot and there are a lot of good talents at Chelsea, and we're in a good phase for the coming years.
"With a good signing they can compete with Liverpool or Man City. [Havertz] has the quality. We need to wait and see [if he's the one to bridge the gap]."
Grant also hailed Chelsea for their transfer business so far, with Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech heading to west London.
"On paper they look like good signings and that they can make the team stronger, but we need to wait and see," he added.
"We've seen years ago, Tottenham bought a lot of players but they bought too much and many didn't perform well - eventually Harry Redknapp saved them and did a very good job.
"I think you need to be careful when you sign a player, whether they will be good for the squad, but I'm sure they've checked this. It's not only about quality.”
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