Kai Havertz was not present as Bayer Leverkusen returned for pre-season fitness tests with the midfielder closing in on an £85m move to Chelsea.
Chelsea have edged closer to yet another major signing as the club’s hugely impressive summer of recruitment continues, the west London side having spent several weeks in negotiations with Leverkusen over a deal to sign the highly-rated Germany international.
The Bundesliga outfit are demanding a huge fee for a player regarded as one of the world’s most promising young players, though talks appear to have found a breakthrough with the Evening Standard reporting that terms are close to being agreed over a deal that will see Chelsea pay an initial £70m, with a further £15m in further add-ons.
Havertz’s move to the Premier League also appears ever closer after Bild reported the 21-year-old was absent from Leverkusen’s return for pre-season, the club conducting their initial fitness tests ahead of a return to training, though the youngster has completed the mandatory coronavirus tests ahead of linking up with Germany for their Nations League fixtures with Spain and Switzerland.
The German looks set to become Chelsea’s sixth major signing of the summer as Frank Lampard’s rebuild at Stamford Bridge is accelerated with huge investment, Havertz set to join Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech, Thiago Silva, Ben Chilwell and Malang Sarr as new arrivals at the club.
Lampard will hope the wealth of new additions can help the Blues close the gap to the Premier League’s best sides next season, Chelsea set to begin their league campaign with a trip to Brighton on September 14.
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