Chelsea have reportedly rejected an opening offer from Arsenal for Kai Havertz.
Arsenal are looking to build upon a season of massive progress this summer, with the Gunners having led Manchester City in the title race for the vast majority of the season, only to fall away in the closing stages to finish second.
That runners up finish has, however, secured Arsenal’s first return to the Champions League since 2016/17, with Mikel Arteta now understandably looking to strengthen his side ahead of their return to Europe’s top table.
The north London club have been linked with a move for Declan Rice and have already seen a £90 million bid rejected for the West Ham star, and have also been linked with a move for Chelsea’s Kai Havertz.
Reports emerged this week that the Germany international was ‘positive’ about potentially making the move across London, and the Telegraph are reporting that Arsenal have made their opening offer to their Premier League rivals.
Havertz has just two years remaining on his current deal at Stamford Bridge, and the report says that the Blues are ‘willing to sell’, particularly given that the German has ‘not indicated a desire to sign an extension’.
Chelsea are said to value Havertz at around £70 million, with the west Londoners rejecting Arsenal’s unspecified opening offer.
Where Havertz would slot into the Gunners’ side is yet to be seen, with the German having operated in a number of positions during his time at Chelsea.
The 24-year-old has scored 32 goals in 139 games since joining Chelsea from Bayer Leverkusen in 2020, his most famous being the winner in the Champions League final against Manchester City in 2021.
