Kai Havertz warned of move to Bayern as Leverkusen demand €100m

Former Bayer Leverkusen and Germany striker Stefan Kiessling does not believe Kai Havertz should make the move to Bayern Munich, or any other top European club just yet. The 19-year-old playmaker has drawn comparisons to fellow Leverkusen stars, Michael Ballack and Toni Kroos. Unsurprisingly, the German international has drawn interest from just about every top club on the continent.

In an interview with Sport1, Kiessling was asked what advice he would give to Havertz. He answered,

I can give lots of advice; what he then does is another thing. Another year in Leverkusen would be good for his development. A club like Bayern, for example, would come too early for him in my view. He’s 19 and still has so much time.

The 19-year-old may be young, but age has not stopped him from scoring 13 and assisting 6 in 35 matches across all competitions. His ability to both create and finish sets him apart. Kiessling recognized as much:

But the offers will definitely come, because he is simply an outstanding footballer. But Kai still has a contract with us. He is a very important part of our team; we’d like to play internationally as often as possible. It’s good for young players; it’s good for the club. I think that some things are still possible in this configuration.

Leverkusen enjoys a position of power in this matter. Havertz contract with the Werkself runs until 2022, giving Leverkusen all the leverage in potential transfer negotiations. There is no reason to believe Die Werkself will accept anything less than their reported €100m asking price.

Although there has been speculation as to when it will happen, Bayern has been the club most consistently linked with the German prodigy. It appears as though Leverkusen would like to hold onto their starlet, while Bayern seems happy to wait until 2020 to secure Havertz, as they deliberate the future roles of both James Rodriguez and Thomas Müller. The Bavarian brass — and even Joshua Kimmich — are hopeful that Havertz will be the heir apparent in the number 10 position.

In the meantime, some eagle-eyed netizens noticed that Havertz was pleased to hear that Lucas Hernandez had signed with Bayern...

Even though Bayern seems to be Havertz’s most likely destination, the Bavarian giants must do everything in their power to ensure they do not miss out on the youngster like they did with a younger Kevin De Bruyne and Leroy Sané. Money does not appear to be an object at the moment; hopefully it will be spent wisely. Havertz has the makings of a truly elite midfield talent and would likely be worth whatever he costs.

Should Bayern try to sign Havertz in the Summer of 2019, or wait until 2020?