Arsenal sign Kai Havertz from Chelsea on ‘long-term contract’ | Football News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Arsenal on Wednesday secured the signing of German attacking midfielder Kai Havertz from Chelsea, finalising a “long-term contract” with the player.
The financial details of the transfer were not officially disclosed by either club, but according to reports from the British media, Arsenal paid Chelsea a sum of £65 million or €75 million.
Havertz represents Arsenal’s first acquisition of the summer transfer window. However, it has been widely reported in the British press that the club has also agreed upon a fee of £105 million for the acquisition of Declan Rice, the talented England midfielder from West Ham.
Having joined Chelsea in 2020 from Bayer Leverkusen, Havertz amassed 139 appearances over three seasons, scoring 32 goals. Notably, he scored the solitary goal in Chelsea’s triumph over Manchester City in the 2021 UEFA Champions League final.
While Arsenal finished as Premier League runners-up in the previous season, Chelsea, in the midst of squad rebuilding, concluded their campaign in 12th position.

“The mentality in the Arsenal squad is very high and you can feel that. That was one of the reasons why it has been so hard to play against Arsenal recently,” Havertz told the Arsenal web site.
“The aim is to win trophies and I’m going to give everything to do that.”
He posted a farewell message to Chelsea on social media.
He said he was writing “with a heavy heart…saying goodbye to the club that has become my second home, and to the incredible fans who have supported me throughout this amazing journey.”
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said: “Kai is a player of top quality. He has great versatility and is an intelligent player. He will bring a huge amount of extra strength to our midfield and variety to our play.”
(With inputs from AFP)