Arsenal have announced the signing of Kai Havertz from rivals Chelsea.
The Germany international has courted several top teams this summer, despite a largely underwhelming three years at Stamford Bridge.
in this transfer window, Real Madrid considered him as a replacement for Saudi Arabia-bound Karim Benzema, while Bayern Munich showed a willingness to increase their long-term interest.
Chelsea’s high asking price has proved a stumbling block for Real and Bayern, but not for Arsenal, who have now completed the signing of Havertz for a fee in excess of £65m.
The 24-year-old becomes Arsenal’s first signing of the summer, with the Gunners hoping to complete deals for Jurrien Timber and Declan Rice in the near future.
Havertz leaves Chelsea having scored just 32 goals in 139 appearances for the Blues, although he will be fondly remembered in west London for his winner against Manchester City in the 2021 UEFA Champions League final.
“Kai is a player of the highest quality. He has great versatility and is an intelligent player. He will bring a huge extra strength to our midfield and variety to our game,” said Mikel Arteta.
“We welcome Kai and his family to Arsenal Football Club and we are all excited to start working with him as we start pre-season soon.”
The player himself added: “It’s super exciting for me to join this amazing club and be part of the Arsenal family. This club has such a great history and I hope we can achieve a lot of things.”
“The mentality in the Arsenal team is very high and you can feel it. That was one of the reasons why it has been so difficult to play against Arsenal recently.
“The aim is to win trophies and I will do everything to do that for the fans and everyone at the club. I am now looking forward to meeting all the players and staff when we come back for pre-season.” “
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