Arsenal agree deal in principle to sign Chelsea’s Kai Havertz

Arsenal have agreed a deal in principle with Chelsea to sign forward Kai Havertz for a fee in the region of £65million.

The Athletic reported on Wednesday morning that the clubs were working to finalise the structure of the impending deal, including potential instalments and add-ons.

Arsenal are set to pay an initial £62m for the German international with a further £3m in add-ons.

Personal terms are in place and a medical for the attacker will follow in due course.

The Athletic reported last week that Arsenal had made an opening proposal to recruit Havertz.

Chelsea need to trim their squad not just to offset past spending but also to fund signings in this window.

Last season, Havertz predominantly operated as a striker for Chelsea and scored nine goals in 47 appearances across all competitions.

Since joining Chelsea from Bayer Leverkusen three years ago in a deal worth up to £90million ($113.8m), Havertz has made 139 appearances for the club, scoring 32 goals and providing 15 assists.

As well as Havertz, Arsenal are working on a deal to sign West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice. 

A proposal worth up to £90m — comprising a £75m fee and £15m in add-ons — has been turned down by their Premier League rivals, but Arsenal are getting closer to a fee that West Ham are aiming to achieve if their captain is to depart.

‘He can play several roles for Arsenal’

Analysis by Arsenal correspondent Jordan Campbell

The immediate thought is that it feels like a good fit.

The stylish way he glides with the ball, the physical profile, the age. That all adds up, apart from one thing: where would he play?

Arsenal see Havertz as a quality player who can play several roles within their system and who offers different attributes to their existing forwards.

He would also continue the club’s strategy of future-proofing the squad as he only just turned 24.

‘Technical level is really high’

Analysis by Chelsea correspondent Liam Twomey

Havertz has been miscast for such long stretches of his Chelsea career in dysfunctional attacking systems that the possibility of him scaling new heights at his next club cannot be discounted.

Even the current version of Havertz does a lot of things that elite clubs value.

His technical level is really high, he has great instincts for finding pockets of space to receive and advance the ball, he is tactically responsible and he presses like a demon.

A fresh start and a change of scenery — even if it is only a move across London — could really be all he needs.

(Photo: Getty Images)