Wayne Veysey

Sat 17 June 2023 7:30, UK

Bayern Munich have made a late move to beat Arsenal to the signing of Chelsea star Kai Havertz, sources have told Football Insider.

The Gunners have been in talks with their London rivals over the versatile forward, 24, but the £70million price has proved prohibitive to an agreement.

That has opened the door for Bayern, who are looking to hijack Arsenal’s deal following new developments.

The German giants have contacted Chelsea to register their interest in Havertz and he is now regarded by them as a top target.

Bayern are in the market to sign a big-name attacker capable of slotting straight into their team and have also discussed potential deals for Juventus’ Dusan Vlahovic and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Kolo Muani.

That provides a new layer of complication for Arsenal, who had hoped the lack of alternative options could help them drive down the Havertz price to around the £60million mark.

Chelsea are willing to listen to offers for the Germany international as they look to trim costs following their remarkable spending in January and last summer, as well as to raise cash for a marquee striker signing.

Havertz is deemed as expendable following his mixed 2022-23 campaign, in which his 3,256 minutes spread across 47 appearances yielded just nine goals and one assist.

He has struggled to be a consistent matchwinner for the Blues since his 2020 arrival despite showing regular glimpses of rare quality.

That is why Arsenal, and now Bayern, are pushing to sign him, although Mikel Arteta’s side are also working on a deal for Declan Rice that could now cost beyond £100million with add-ons taken into account.

Chelsea are open to offering Havertz a new deal, but his salary would likely be reduced given the club’s substantial wage bill.

In other news, brutal Arsenal clearout begins.