Chelsea star close to completing Real Madrid switch

Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema will leave the Spanish giants this summer after 14 years with the club. 

The La Liga side announced on Sunday that the French forward will depart the Spanish capital imminently, with a move to Saudi Arabia expected to follow.

Benzema has scored 353 goals in 647 games for his current side across all competitions and will be hugely missed by the Champions League holders.

Now, though, it appears that Real have already lined up Benzema’s successor and could be close to completing a deal for the Premier League star.

As per German outlet BILD, the Spanish side have identified Chelsea star Kai Havertz as the perfect candidate to replace Benzema.

The report claims that a deal for the Germany international is imminent and is expected to be completed very quickly.

Havertz, 23, joined Chelsea from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen in 2020 and has since endured highs and lows in west London.

In 2021, the striker netted the only goal of the game as Chelsea beat Manchester City 2-1 to lift the Champions League for the second time in their history.

Havertz scored the winning goal in the 2021 Champions League final

In total, though, Havertz has scored just 32 goals in 139 appearances for the club across all competitions, as well as providing 15 assists.

It is claimed in the report that a ‘mega deal’ for Havertz is moving quickly and is expected to be completed very soon.

The report also suggests that the Germany international is the ‘dream player’ of both Real boss Carlo Ancelotti and club president Florentino Perez.

Chelsea are set to allow a number of players to leave this summer as they look to balance the books and reduce their squad size after a year of spending.

Blues owner Todd Boehly has splashed out more than £500 million on 16 new signings since purchasing the club last summer, leaving new boss Mauricio Pochettino with an inflated playing squad.

Several players have been linked with moves away from Stamford Bridge, but it appears that Havertz could become one of the first players to leave the club when the window officially opens.