Chelsea sign Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Kai Havertz on 5-year deal
Sep 05, 2020
London [UK], September 5 : Chelsea have signed German midfielder Kai Havertz on a five-year deal from Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.
The 21-year-old follows fellow German Timo Werner, who was also purchased from the Bundesliga club RB Leipzig, and is in addition to the recruitment of Hakim Ziyech, Ben Chilwell and Thiago Silva as Frank Lampard's squad for the forthcoming season takes shape
The club have also signed young French defender Malang Sarr who is going out on loan with a view to gaining more experience before he is involved.
"I am very happy and proud to be here, For me, it is a dream come true to play in a big club like Chelsea and I can't wait to meet all the players and the trainers. Yeah, I am very happy to be here!" Havertz said in a statement.
Havertz has become one of German football's highest-rated young players following his breakthrough at Bayer Leverkusen, setting a series of records for his achievements, including those for the youngest player to make 50 and 100 Bundesliga appearances, which were both previously held by Timo Werner.
More recently, he proved himself a capable striker while filling in for that role due to injuries in the second half of 2019/20, and has been dubbed an 'Alleskonner' in his homeland - meaning a player who can do everything.
Havertz joined Bayer Leverkusen at the age of 11 in 2010 and made a name for himself in their youth set-up, receiving the Silver Fritz Walter Medal in 2016, given to the best Under-17 players in Germany.
He made his senior debut that same year, becoming the club's youngest Bundesliga debutant and continued to grow in stature over the course of the 2016/17 season.
The midfielder made his first Champions League start in that season's last 16, although he missed the second leg of their defeat to Atletico Madrid because it clashed with his school exams. Before the end of the campaign, he had his first goal, in a 3-3 draw with Wolfsburg, making him Leverkusen's youngest Bundesliga scorer.
By the 2017/18 season, Havertz was a regular in the team at the BayArena and became influential to the side, helping them return to European competition with a fifth-place finish
Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia said: "Kai is one of the best players of his age in world football, so we are very happy that his future lies at Chelsea. He has proven pedigree in one of the best leagues in Europe, he plays for the German national side and he is an exciting, dynamic talent. We are delighted to be able to add his versatility and quality to the squad before the season begins."
