Arsenal 'emerge as strong contenders for Kai Havertz'

The Germany international's future at Stamford Bridge is currently the subject of much speculation, with the player believed to have informed the Blues of his desire to leave ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.

Havertz was Chelsea's joint-leading goalscorer last season alongside Raheem Sterling, finding the back of the net on nine occasions in all competitions, with seven of those goals coming in the Premier League.

The Blues finished down in 12th position in the table, though, and it is expected to be a summer of change for the capital giants, with a number of players both arriving and leaving.

Havertz's future has recently been called into question, with Real Madrid thought to be keen on the 24-year-old following Karim Benzema's departure.

However, Los Blancos have allegedly cooled their interest due to Chelsea's demands, with the London club thought to want at least £51m plus add-ons for the forward.

According to The Guardian, Arsenal are now strong contenders for the German, with Gunners boss Mikel Arteta viewing him as the ideal signing during the current market.

The report claims that Chelsea value Havertz in the region of £70m, but it is unlikely that Arsenal would be prepared to pay that fee, with the club potentially signing Declan Rice from West Ham United in a big-money deal, which would take up a chunk of their budget.

Chelsea would allegedly rather not sell Havertz to a Premier League rival, but Arsenal could emerge as the favourites due to Real Madrid seemingly now dropping their interest.

Havertz's form for Bayer Leverkusen led to a number of clubs expressing an interest in his signature.

The attacker made his debut for the German giants in October 2016 and went on to represent them on 150 occasions, scoring 46 goals and registering 31 assists in the process.

Chelsea ultimately won the race to sign him in 2020, but the forward has largely found it difficult to impress despite making 139 appearances in all competitions.

Havertz has only managed 32 goals and 15 assists during his time with the Blues, and the club's failure to qualify for next season's Champions League has reportedly led to him expressing a desire to leave.

The forward has also been capped on 35 occasions by Germany, scoring 13 times, and he registered in his national team's 3-3 draw with Ukraine on Monday night.