Bozsz confident Havertz will remain at Leverkusez

Head coach of Bayer Leverkusen, Peter Bosz has insisted that star midfielder Kai Havertz will remain at the club ahead of the return of the UEFA Europa League in August.

Havertz has been linked with a move to Chelsea as Frank Lampard looks to bolster his squad.

The 21-year-old Havertz had a 2019/20 Bundesliga season to remember as he netted 17 goals and supplied nine assists across all competitions during an impressive 2019/20 campaign. While the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Real Madrid have all been linked with the German international, Stamford Bridge has emerged as his most likely next destination.

According to Standard Sport, Chelsea – who have already secured deals for Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner over recent months – are waiting to secure Champions League qualification before pressing ahead with a move for Havertz, with Frank Lampard’s side needing just a point from their final Premier League match of the season at home to Wolves on Sunday to seal a top-four finish.

Lampard is increasingly confident of signing the player for around £70million, with Leverkusen’s finances impacted by a failure to qualify for the Champions League – they finished fifth in the Bundesliga last month – in addition to football’s coronavirus shutdown that has adversely affected most clubs across Europe and beyond.

Despite that, Bosz remains confident that Havertz – who returned to pre-season training with Leverkusen this week but is understood to be ready to ask the club’s hierarchy to let him leave for Chelsea – will still be around for the second leg of the Europa League last-16 tie against Rangers. That match takes place at BayArena on August 6, with Leverkusen holding a commanding 3-1 advantage following a comfortable win at Ibrox in March in which Havertz netted a first-half penalty.
“Kai Havertz will be there right at the start of the training session,” Bosz said.
“I am confident he will also be with us in the Europa League.”