When Chelsea started to make moves into the German market, introducing Timo Werner to the side, it looked like a mini-revolution. Already joining Antonio Rudiger at the club, the Blues looked set to tap into the Michael Ballack era and start investing in some Bundesliga stars once again. One name being heavily linked with the club is Kai Havertz, the midfield dynamo from Bayer Leverkusen.

Despite the player being ready to move to London and seemingly happy to join the Blues, the clubs are quite far off in their valuation of the player. Reports in Germany suggest that the Blues are some €18m short in their valuation of the player, and that Leverkusen show no signs of meeting in the middle.

Reports also suggest that while terms are agreed with Havertz, 21, the clubs are nowhere near finding consensus. Much like other transfer rumours from across the summer, it appears that Chelsea don’t have the financial funds to stretch as far as Leverkusen would like. This could mean that the transfer falls short, as Leverkusen aren’t known for selling cheap due to player demands.

An exit last summer of Julian Brandt for a fraction of his worth due to a release clause is something that Leverkusen are keen to avoid happening again. That’s why it’s unlikely that we’ll see a further impasse with both clubs finding it tough to convince one another that the deal is one that can be salvaged.