The truth behind Kai Havertz’s move to Real Madrid emerges as CEO makes claims about Arsenal star

Kai Havertz almost had a very different career before moving to the Premier League.

Havertz is currently playing for Arsenal in their bid to win the Premier League and Champions League. The German was signed from Chelsea in a £65million deal last summer and has scored 10 goals with five assists in all competitions this season for the Gunners.

Before moving to the Emirates Stadium, Havertz spent three years at Chelsea from 2020-2023 after being signed from Bayer Leverkusen. The Blues have agreed a deal worth an initial £72m, which could eventually rise to £90m with add-ons.

However, it seems that things could have gone very differently for Havertz. Leverkusen chief executive Fernando Carro spoke of previous interest in Havertz before his move to Chelsea and confirmed Real Madrid were close to completing a move for the versatile playmaker. However, he stated that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a transfer could not be completed.

“There was a possibility with Madrid before the coronavirus, but the meeting was canceled a week before because the isolation started,” Carro told Spanish news outlet AS.

Havertz scored 32 goals in 139 appearances during his three years at Chelsea. His most famous goal probably came in the 2021 Champions League final, where he scored the winner to beat Manchester City 1-0 at the Estadio do Dragao.

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Now the 24-year-old has moved from west London to north London to become a key figure in Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side. Havertz has started 36 of a possible 44 games for the Gunners this season, with Arteta viewing the Germany international as vital to his plans.

Havertz will be hoping to play a key role when Arsenal take on Bayern Munich in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday night. Havertz has scored just one goal in the competition this season as the Gunners look to progress to the semi-finals after a 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture last week.