Real Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger has expressed his desire to reunite with Chelsea star Kai Havertz, who has been linked with a potential permanent transfer to Arsenal in the upcoming summer transfer window.
Since his arrival from Bayer Leverkusen in 2020 for a fee of approximately £72 million, Havertz, 24, has been a regular starter for Chelsea. He has played a significant role in the team’s success, including their UEFA Champions League triumph and other trophies.
According to The Telegraph, both Real Madrid and Arsenal have shown interest in signing the 35-time capped German international. Chelsea, on the other hand, reportedly aim to sell Havertz for a fee of £70 million.
During an interview with AS, Rudiger was asked for his opinion on Havertz joining the La Liga giants. He replied:
“It would make me happy to play with Kai Havertz again at club level after our time together at Chelsea. Unfortunately,
I can’t say a lot about it right now because in terms of transfers, my opinion is secondary. They are all club decisions.”
Should the German secure a summer move to Real Madrid, he would emerge as a first-team face for them.
He could provide a versatile solution to their striking crisis in the aftermath of Karim Benzema’s permanent switch to Al-Ittihad.
Havertz’s elite addition to Arsenal
On the other hand, Havertz could prove to be a shrewd signing for Arsenal.
While he could provide solid competition to starting striker Gabriel Jesus, he could also serve as an elite rotational option for Martin Odegaard as a number 10.
Overall, Havertz has scored 32 goals and laid out 15 assists in 139 games across all competitions for Chelsea.
Obstacle impeding Havertz’s Madrid move
Earlier Sports Brief reported that Madrid have no intention to pay Chelsea’s €60m plus add-ons asking price and are willing to look elsewhere if it doesn’t come down, reports Fabrizio Romano.
Chelsea is expected to discuss the future of Havertz in the coming days as they expect more clubs to approach them over the 23-year-old.