Transfer Centre

Chelsea 'must qualify for Champions League to sign Kai Havertz'

By Matt Law, Football EditorPublished: 12 July 2020 8:57 AM

Chelsea must qualify for next season's Champions League to sign Bayer Leverkusen attacker Kai Havertz this summer, according to a report.

Chelsea will reportedly have to qualify for next season's Champions League to stand a chance of signing Bayer Leverkusen attacker Kai Havertz this summer.

The speculation surrounding the 21-year-old's future continues to gather pace, with Frank Lampard's side thought to be leading the race to sign him ahead of the 2020-21 campaign.

However, according to Bild journalist Christian Falk, the English club's chances of signing the Germany international hinge on whether they can secure a spot in next season's premier European competition.

The Blues are currently third in the Premier League table but fourth-placed Leicester City and fifth-placed Manchester United would both go above them if they were to win their games in hand on Sunday and Monday respectively.

Fifth could yet be enough to qualify for the 2020-21 Champions League, though, with Manchester City set to find out on Monday whether their appeal against a two-season European ban has been successful.

Havertz enjoyed an impressive season at BayArena, scoring 17 times and providing nine assists in 43 appearances in all competitions, including 12 goals in 30 Bundesliga outings.