20-year-old Bayer Leverkusen attacking midfielder could be an option should Jadon Sancho bid fail – reports

Bayer Leverkusen’s 20-year-old attacking midfielder, Kai Havertz could well be the next big star coming out of Germany and because of this some of the bigger clubs in Europe seem to have an interest in the player. The Bundesliga’s rising star was expected to make a big money move this summer until the coronavirus pandemic stopped world football.

Leverkusen have taken the same steps as Borussia Dortmund by insisting that they will not be forced to sell their prized asset on the cheap this summer, or whenever the next transfer window opens, seemingly suggesting that they have a price and it will need to be met, which is understandable. However, that may not happen.

The Covid-19 pandemic may not see the high fees paid in the transfer windows that have passed being replicated when the new window opens. Manchester United executive vice-chairman, Ed Woodward did suggest last week that big transfer fees may not be seen this summer, especially from United given the uncertainty surrounding football at the moment.

That being said, Jadon Sancho is currently United’s top target, at least according to reports with the player long linked to the Old Trafford club in their bid to finally bring in a player to take control of the right-wing, which has been a problem position for most of the time since Sir Alex Ferguson retired at the end of the 2012/13 season.

However, a fee rising from £100 million may be a problem, even for United this summer. United may not even feel happy breaking the £89 million they spent on bringing Paul Pogba back to the club from Juventus in the summer of 2016. It is suggested that deals of £60 million or more might be out of reach for one of the richest clubs in Europe.

It is suggested that Havertz is on the list of potential purchases for United to cover their problem position on the right-wing. The 20-year-old has predominantly played as an attacking midfielder this season but has made ten appearances on the right-wing, showing that he could be capable there – scoring five goals and five assists from that position.

In 34 appearances in all competitions for Leverkusen this season, up until world football stopped, Havertz has scored ten goals and eight assists, playing a total of 2,925 minutes of football for his club and has played in the DFB-Pokal, UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League, as well as the Bundesliga. Impressive.

Whether the season continues or not, those are good stats for a player his age. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will no doubt be thinking about what this summer could bring. Before the coronavirus pandemic, it was expected to be an important transfer window for the club, but that seems to have been played down of late, perhaps because of the uncertainty.

Havertz started his youth career at Alemannia Mariadorf from 2003 until 2009, then moving to Alemannia Aachen from 2009 until 2010, when he moved to Leverkusen, working his way though the clubs academy and eventually making his first team debut in 2016. Havertz has played 138 times for Leverkusen, scoring 38 goals and a further 30 assists.

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I support Manchester United, the greatest English football team to have ever existed. Bruno Fernandes is the latest in a long line of players with great ability to play for the club. I idolised Bryan Robson, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, and Eric Cantona growing up.