Former Premier League star advises Havertz on Man Utd transfer decision

Bayer 04 Leverkusen forward Kai Havertz has been on Manchester United’s radar for some time.

Last week we reported that the German Bundesliga side would still be demanding an excessive fee for the 21-year-old, in excess of £71 million this summer. There is not been any suggestions since that we will or won’t be making an offer during the next transfer window.

However, the Red Devils are not the only club in the running for the German international, as Premier League rivals Chelsea and Spanish giants Real Madrid have also been strongly linked with a move for Havertz.

And former Newcastle United, Liverpool and Manchester City midfielder, Dietmar Hamann has now had his say on the choice. The 59-time German international has advised Kai Havertz that Chelsea would be the obvious transfer option if he had the two English teams to choose between.

Frank Lampard’s side are already close to an agreement with RB Leipzig for striker Timo Werner to join them in a £50 million deal at the end of the current campaign. Whether the West London club would want another attacker on top of Werner to join this summer remains to be seen.

The Blues are already signing Hakim Ziyech from Ajax over the summer, and already have the likes of Tammy Abraham, Christian Pulisic and William on their books.

Hamann has been quoted on Sky Deutschland as saying:

“Chelsea and Manchester United are fighting for fourth place [in the Premier League].

“If United miss out on the Champions League again, the Red Devils are at risk of falling behind the other clubs.

“United has lost its appeal in recent years. They have been the measure of things for many years, they are still the largest club in England, but they have major internal problems.

“If there was a player on the market in the past, Manchester United was the first point of contact for years. I believe that is no longer the case today.

“When a player like Kai Havertz changes clubs and signs somewhere for five years, the long-term perspective is more important than participating in the Champions League next season.

“The player may have to make the decision in the next few weeks and cannot wait until the season in England, which runs until the end of July or beginning of August, is over. Perspective is important for a player, but Manchester has been in a vacuum for years.

“On the other hand, if I look at Chelsea, they have a coach with Frank Lampard who did a great job for the club as a player, and I have the feeling that the Blues are growing again.

“They had the two-year transfer embargo and, with [Mason] Mount and [Tammy] Abraham, brought back two young players who were on loan. [Andreas] Christensen is an incredibly interesting player.

“For the first time in a long time, you have a team with which the fans can really identify. If a Timo Werner or possibly a Kai Havertz were to be added, it would be an incredibly exciting and interesting story.

“If I think about where I see the clubs now and in two or three years, the decision for Chelsea would be a relatively easy one for me as a player.”

Kai Havertz has 11 goals and 5 assists in 26 Bundesliga appearances this season, scoring five goals in Bayer Leverkusen’s four games since the restart. He is very versatile, having been deployed behind the striker, on the right wing and as the striker this season.

Manchester United are currently three points behind Chelsea in fourth with nine games to go as our 2019-20 Premier League campaign restarts next Friday at Tottenham Hotspur.

We had been in excellent form prior to the suspension of football in England in mid-March, whilst Chelsea had only won two of their last seven at the time.

A top four finish, or even winning the Europa League, would see us compete in next season’s Champions League, which is a big pulling factor for potential new signings this summer.