Report: Chelsea's Havertz bid falls €20M short of Leverkusen's demand
Bayer Leverkusen are refusing to budge over their asking price for Chelsea target Kai Havertz.
Chelsea's latest offer of €65 million (£58.6 million) plus €15 million in add-ons has fallen short of the Bundesliga club's €100-million valuation, according to The Guardian's Fabrizio Romano and Jacob Steinberg.
Havertz is said to be eager to complete a move to Stamford Bridge and reportedly agreed to a five-year deal with the Blues after Bayer Leverkusen failed to qualify for the Champions League last season.
Real Madrid and Bayern Munich were also linked to Havertz, but Chelsea are considered the front-runners as the Spanish and German giants apparently lack the funds to sign him this summer.
Chelsea hope to convince Leverkusen to lower their price, but Romano and Steinberg report that they will likely have to increase their offer or possibly include more add-ons.
If Chelsea are successful, Havertz would become the third major signing of the year following the arrivals of Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech, though manager Frank Lampard has yet to satisfy his need for defensive reinforcements.
Bayer Leverkusen reportedly don't want negotiations to impact their preparations for next season and could be forced to lower their price if a deal isn't completed in the near future, as Havertz has his heart set on a departure.
The German side has identified Patrik Schick as a possible replacement and could launch a €28-million bid to sign the Czech forward from Roma, add Romano and Steinberg.
Havertz scored 18 goals in all competitions during a breakout 2020-21 campaign.