Chelsea: £72m star 'could have head turned by Tuchel' at Stamford Bridge | OneFootball

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·28 March 2023

Chelsea: £72m star 'could have head turned by Tuchel' at Stamford Bridge

Article image:Chelsea: £72m star 'could have head turned by Tuchel' at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea will fight to keep Kai Havertz away from Bayern Munich amid fears Thomas Tuchel’s arrival will add momentum to any intended pursuit from the German champions.

The Blues have already felt the sting of Tuchel in the wake of his appointment in the German capital as he is swooping to take Blues coach Anthony Barry to the Allianz Arena.


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Havertz has already been linked with Bayern and it is not lost on the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge that new head coach Tuchel would almost certainly back him as a signing too.

Would Chelsea sell Havertz to Bayern Munich?

Sources indicate Chelsea would play hardball over their German forward if Tuchel comes knocking. Informed contacts in Germany are not convinced about the Havertz pursuit clicking into gear this summer though.

They expect Chelsea to hike up his value and also believe that a Robert Lewandowski replacement will be prioritised.

In that sense they would search for a more traditional No.9 and put their interest in Havertz on hold, if only for the time being.

Havertz arrived in London from Bayer Leverkusen in a deal worth £72million in the summer of 2020. He penned a five-year deal and now, over halfway through that agreement, will begin to assess his situation.

Havertz is not a player Chelsea are keen to lose and they will hope Bayern focus their chase on Harry Kane at Tottenham instead. At the moment his strengths are not being fully utilised but he is a player who can do everything and while his performances and output are improving there is a feeling his head might be turned by such an opportunity to return to his homeland.

Would Havertz be a success back in the Bundesliga?

He is a regular for the German national team and while Havertz may not have exactly thrived under Tuchel at Chelsea, the boss was never in doubt of his ability. There were moments when Tuchel would seem critical of his forward yet inside the club the feeling was always that this was because he was so sure of the quality that was to still be unlocked consistently.

Chelsea have continued to struggle to find the ideal role for him but at Bayern that would seem easier as he is talked about as a long-term successor to Thomas Muller.

Havertz is a smart attacking player who showed during his time at Bayer Leverkusen that he can cause all sorts of trouble in Bundesliga when able to link play and drop into pockets of space to create problems.

He collected 46 goals and 31 assists from 150 appearances and his Chelsea numbers have not quite met that standard: So far he has 32 goals and 15 assists from 128 games for the Blues.

Is Bayern Munich's interest in Havertz new?

Bayern’s interest in Havertz dates back to last summer, when intermediaries indeed sounded out the potential of a move but did not receive a positive response.

That may well have changed as the player considers how his time has gone since then. Sources have suggested to GMS that Havertz remains fully focused on Chelsea and would only contemplate a move if it was officially put in front of him.

This is not a player likely to push his way out of Stamford Bridge but Chelsea still need to convince him they are on the right path under Graham Potter - as the chance to link up again with Tuchel, for a spell at Bayern that is almost certain to end in success, will surely prove tempting.

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