Liverpool's Stance on Bayer Leverkusen Midfielder Kai Havertz Revealed
By Tom Gott
While Kai Havertz is on Liverpool's radar ahead of this summer's transfer window, the Bayer Leverkusen midfielder is not thought to be one of their top priorities.
The 20-year-old is expected to leave Leverkusen in a blockbuster deal in the near future after proving himself as one of the Bundesliga's top talents, and there have been countless reports putting Liverpool in win the race for his signature.
According to Kicker (via Manuel Veth), that's not the case as Liverpool actually prefer other targets over Havertz.
There is no reason given for that decision, but the Evening Standard's David Lynch claims it is likely because of his price tag. Leverkusen are thought to be hoping for close to £90m, which has seemingly put Liverpool off making a move.
Having said that, the justification for that stance is that Havertz would not improve Jürgen Klopp's first team, which is a bold claim to make about a 20-year-old who has bagged 30 goals and 15 assists in the last 18 months.
Still, it's a stance that matches what was reported by Melissa Reddy in the Independent back in February, who claimed that Leverkusen would need to effectively halve their valuation of Havertz for Liverpool to be seriously interested.
Meanwhile, Kicker also make mention of Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho, who is another of those players to have been heavily linked with an enormous switch to Anfield. Unfortunately for Liverpool fans, it is said that there is little chance of this happening.
Sancho is said to only be an option if Sadio Mané leaves the club. Real Madrid have been unconvincingly linked with the Senegal international, but that deal doesn't really look like happening either.
The only player who Real are convinced about is RB Leipzig's Timo Werner, who is seen as a better fit for Klopp's high-tempo system.
Werner has previously been described as 'desperate' to play for Liverpool, and it seems like that feeling could be mutual - especially when you remember his (relatively) low release clause.
Nobody seems to know the specific figure, but it is understood that Werner's release clause is no more than £51m, with some suggesting it could be nearly half that. Either way, it's a real bargain for a striker with 27 goals and 12 assists this season.
90min understands that Liverpool's transfer strategy for the summer remains to be smart in the market, buying only players who will improve the squad, while £100m-style marquee signings are not a necessary or realistic proposition.