Arsenal in pole position to sign Chelsea star

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta will be working hard behind the scenes to prepare his squad for next season. 

The Spaniard guided the Gunners to a second-placed finish in the Premier League this season, with the north London outfit having topped the table for several months before being leapfrogged by eventual champions Manchester City.

Despite the disappointment of missing out on the league title, Arsenal did qualify for the Champions League for the first time in seven seasons, and Arteta will therefore be keen to bolster his squad ahead of their European campaign.

Several players have already been linked with moves to The Emirates, but it now appears that one of Chelsea’s most important players could soon be joining Arsenal.

As per Football Insider, the Gunners are in pole position to sign forward Kai Havertz from their rivals this summer.

The Germany international has been a target for Arsenal for a while now, and the north London side are leading the race for the player despite late interest from German champions Bayern Munich, the report claims.

Havertz, 24, joined Chelsea from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen back in 2020 and has since scored 32 goals in 139 matches across all competitions, as well as providing 15 assists.

Havertz could be on his way to Arsenal this summer

The highlight of the German’s Chelsea career has undoubtedly been his winning goal during the Blues’ 2021 Champions League final victory over Manchester City.

Despite interest from Bayern in recent days, the report claims that the German side have registered their interest in Havertz too late and now face missing out to Arsenal in the race to sign him.

Chelsea are likely to undergo a squad overhaul this summer following a year of huge spending by owner Todd Boehly.

The American has financed 14 new signings since taking charge of the club last summer, meaning that several players will now have to be moved on during the current window to allow for further arrivals.

Havertz is currently contracted to Chelsea until the summer of 2025 and it had been reported that the club are holding out for a fee of £70 million for the striker.

That figure is reported to have already deterred interest from Spanish giants Real Madrid, and the report claims that the Blues could be forced to reduce their demands in order to move Havertz on.