Arsenal has signed Germany forward Kai Havertz from Chelsea on a five-year contract extension until 2028 for £65 million.
The 24-year-old spent three years at Stamford Bridge after joining for £71 million from Bayer Leverkusen.
Havertz’s cost could climb with add-ons after scoring nine goals for the Blues previous season.
Havertz has 19 Premier League goals in 91 appearances and scored the game-winning goal in the 2021 Champions League final against Manchester City.
He travels across London as Mikel Arteta aims to bolster his Arsenal team following a six-year absence from the Champions League.
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Havertz said goodbye to Chelsea fans “with a heavy heart” in a statement posted on his social media networks.
“A big thank you for all your support, we achieved a dream of winning the Champions League together,” he said.
Havertz stated on the Arsenal website after his transfer was announced that he wanted to “win trophies” with his new team.
“It’s an honor to be joining this incredible club and becoming a member of the Arsenal family,” Havertz said. “This club has such a rich history, and I hope we can accomplish a lot.”
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“You can sense the high level of mentality in the Arsenal squad.” That’s one of the reasons it’s been so difficult to play against Arsenal recently.
“The goal is to win trophies, and I’ll do everything in my power to do so for the fans and everyone at the club.” “I’m looking forward to meeting all of the players and staff when we return for pre-season.”
Arsenal has also made a third £105 million proposal for West Ham and England player Declan Rice.
Chelsea is looking to trim its squad size, and on Tuesday sold Croatia player Mateo Kovacic to Manchester City, while fellow midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek is close to joining AC Milan.
N’Golo Kante has decided to join a Saudi Arabian club, while goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and defender Kalidou Koulibaly have joined Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro League.
Tiemoue Bakayoko, a midfielder, has also left the club as a free agent.
Chelsea’s new ownership prefers not to allow players in the final two years of their contracts, and Havertz, whose contract was set to expire in 2025, did not agree to an extension with the club.
