24-year-old closes in on £65m departure as Arsenal reach ‘agreement in principle’ with Chelsea

Arsenal have reached an agreement in principle with Chelsea over the transfer of Kai Havertz.

The 24-year-old, who has been linked with Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, looks set to for a switch across the capital from west to north London.

Havertz is keen on a move to Arsenal which will bring an end to a three-year spell at Stamford Bridge after joining from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2020.

With two years left on his contract, an ultimatum was given to the Germany international this summer: to either sign a new deal or find a new club.

Arsenal have stepped up their interest as Mikel Arteta continues to strengthen his side following their second placed finish in the Premier League last season.

Despite Chelsea‘s initial valuation of £75 million, David Ornstein of The Athletic reported Arsenal were close to finding an agreement of around £65 million. Discussions were ongoing to finalise the structure of the transfer, including potential instalments and add-ons, with a medical ready to be scheduled if all goes to plan.

Now David Ornstein reports an agreement in principle has been reached between the two clubs.

Havertz will leave Chelsea having won the Champions League and Club World Cup, scoring the winning goals in both, as well as the Super Cup. He made 139 appearances for the club, scoring 32 goals and registering 15 assists in all competitions.

Mateo Kovacic is set to follow Havertz out of the door. A £30 million agreement has been reached with Man City, while N’Golo Kante’s transfer to Al-Ittihad was confirmed on Tuesday.

Chelsea’s summer overhaul is only just getting started, with Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly and Hakim Ziyech on the verge of Saudi Arabia moves. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Christian Pulisic both face uncertain futures and are likely to leave this summer.

Mauricio Pochettino is set to see a significantly reduced squad when he officially begins work at Chelsea on July 1.