Why would Arsenal want to sign Kai Havertz?

The task for every single top Premier League side this summer is to construct a team that is capable of beating Manchester City to the Premier League title. That task is even more heightened for Arsenal given they were top for so much of the previous campaign.

They also do not seem to be losing any key components of that team, so they need to enhance the squad over the summer and try to come back stronger in 2023/24.

One of the many names that has been heavily linked with Arsenal is Chelsea forward Kai Havertz. The German has been a very hard player to judge since he arrived in the Premier League, but he could get a fresh chance to impress if the move to the Emirates Stadium happens.

Havertz to Arsenal details

As things stand at the moment, there is serious interest from Arsenal in the German forward, and there is a desire from Havertz himself to make the move happen. It is essentially a case of Arsenal and Chelsea agreeing on the terms of the transfer.

One of the main reasons that Chelsea will listen to offers is that Havertz has two years left on his deal and they have made it their mission not to keep players who could potentially run their contracts down and leave without a transfer fee. That and Havertz's desire to leave means that he is unlikely to be there next season, regardless of whether it is Arsenal that he ends up playing for - 90min understands that Bayern Munich are ready to step up their interest.

One issue is that Chelsea have put a £70m price tag on the German. That is a lot of money for Arsenal to spend on one player - especially one that may not necessarily be a starter - but there seems to be a belief that Arsenal could get that price down.

Havertz has certainly got the blessing of Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, who recently said on CBS Sports: "He reminds me sometimes, a little, of Robin [van Persie] back to goal the way he can hold the ball. Robin van Persie was very good with his left foot, the touch was always immaculate he tried to bring people along.

"This is why out of the guys that used to be wingers or number ten he plays as a nine because with his back to goal he can hold the ball well. Now he needs to make sure he can transform that into more goals because you can play off him."

Why do Arsenal want to sign Havertz?

There is a strong belief that Arsenal need more bodies and more tactical options in attack. Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah are their main striking options but neither are prolific scorers.

Folarin Balogun is returning to the club after his loan spell at Reims, but he is not going to want to play as a backup. He has been linked with a move back to mainland Europe and Arsenal could probably receive a pretty handsome fee. That money could then go towards signing Havertz.

Havertz is the kind of forward that can thrive in a more creative role, rather than having the entire goalscoring burden placed upon him. He could potentially make a very good pairing with Jesus playing just off of or even in behind the Brazilian.

If Arsenal are going to compete in the Premier League for the title and also go far in the Champions League, they need more options in attack of a slightly different variety. Havertz is still only 24 and has a lot more potential still to tap into, while he is also a very experienced operator anyway.

He may not have hit the heights expected of him at Chelsea, but he has still managed to score 32 goals and add 15 assists in his 139 games.

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On this week's edition of Talking Transfers, part of the 90min podcast network, Toby Cudworth is joined by Graeme Bailey and Sean Walsh to discuss the latest transfer news. On the agenda is future of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi's shock move to Inter Miami, Declan Rice's proposed Arsenal deal, Tottenham's summer plans and more.

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