Chelsea forward linked with Spanish giants ahead of the summer | CaughtOffside
Real Madrid are looking at making a move for Chelsea forward Kai Havertz as they look to take advantage of the Blues’ likely lack of European action next season.
This is according to 90Min (via KeepUp), who say that Havertz is being looked at as a successor to their 35-year old goal machine Karim Benzema.
Chelsea currently sit 11th in the Premier League and look set to go into next season with no European football, the first time that has happened since their title-winning campaign of 2016/17.
The Blues’ squad is also extremely bloated, especially in the attacking department, and with Christopher Nkunku set to arrive at Stamford Bridge in July, that could spell the end for Kai Havertz, who is his side’s top scorer this season with nine goals in all competitions.
Should Real sign Havertz, the German has extremely big boots to fill if he does end up being a replacement for Benzema, with the Frenchman hitting less than 20 goals in all competitions just three times in his 14 years at Santiago Bernabeu. To put that into context, Havertz – despite his senior career starting only in 2016 – has hit 20 goals in all competitions just once, back in 2018/19.
When Real Madrid come calling, you’re expected to hit the ground running almost immediately so Havertz will need to start proving that he has what it takes to lead the line for Los Blancos, and that starts with hitting some form with Chelsea between now and the end of the season.