Bayer Leverkusen are aware of the huge interest in Kai Havertz and are unsure what will happen regarding the Germany international’s future.
Havertz has enjoyed an outstanding season for the Bundesliga club and has been linked with a big-money move when the transfer window reopens.
Premier League trio Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United have all been credited with an interest in the recently-turned 21-year-old, while Real Madrid have also been mentioned as suitors.
Reports have suggested that Leverkusen’s Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich are leading the race for the playmaker as the champions-elect prepare to finetune their squad in the summer.
Leverkusen’s sporting director Rudi Voller recently stated the club had not given up hope of retaining Havertz, despite the lengthy list of admirers.
The club’s CEO Fernando Carro has now offered his update on Havertz and is hoping that a solution can be reached to keep everyone happy.
“I can see that many clubs are interested in him,” Carro told Kolner Stadt Anzeiger.
“Kai has been with us for 10 years. I see the wish of the player to take his next step sometime in the near future, which you have to respect, just as you have to respect the fact that he has a contract with us until 2022.
“You have to try to find a solution where the player's goal can be reconciled with ours. At the moment nobody can say for sure what will happen.”
The links to Bayern drew a positive response from Thomas Muller, although the forward did receive a rebuke from his own club’s sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic.
Muller said of Havertz: "In my last call-ups for the national team, I always enjoyed training and playing with him. He is a very good player, if not the best player of his age group in Europe at the moment.
"His skills are exceptional. Of course, we always want the best players at Bayern."
Former Bayern captain Lothar Matthaus expressed his view that his old club can afford to sign Havertz, despite reports suggesting the player will command a fee in excess of €80 million (£72m/$91m).
Matthaus told Sky Deutschland: “Havertz, who is sure to be hunted by the vast majority of clubs, should in my eyes have the character and quality to assert himself at Real, Barcelona, Juventus or the top English clubs.
“Havertz has made a very good impression on me and that, paired with insane talent, means he has what it takes to show his class abroad. But of course Bayern will also be a factor.
“It could also be an option to agree on the season after next, with Bayern allowing him to stay in Leverkusen for another year – especially if they qualify for the Champions League.
“Then Thomas Muller will be a year-and-a-half older and the prospects for Kai are even better than they are already. He will certainly cost at least €80 million, and only because of the current crisis. Otherwise we would be talking about a three-figure amount.”
