Chelsea begin clear-out and raise almost £100m by selling Havertz and Kovacic
Chelsea have begun a major squad clear-out and raised almost £100m by agreeing deals to sell Kai Havertz to Arsenal and Mateo Kovacic to Manchester City.
Germany forward Havertz, who scored 32 goals in 139 goals during three seasons at Chelsea, is set to move across London to Arsenal for an initial fee of £60m, rising to £65m depending on performance.
Croatia midfielder Kovacic, who joined the club initially on loan in 2019, is poised to join Treble winners City for £25m, potentially rising to £30m.
They will follow N’Golo Kante out of Stamford Bridge after the France midfielder completed a free transfer to Saudi Pro League champions Al-Ittihad, where he will join fellow new signing and international team-mate Karim Benzema.
Chelsea, who have spent more than £500m since their Todd Boehly-led takeover last summer, could recoup further funds by offloading Kalidou Koulibaly and Hakim Ziyech to Saudi sides, who have received a major capital injection from the country’s Public Investment Fund.
Senegal centre-back Koulibaly has been linked with a move to Al Hilal, while Ziyech is a target for Al-Nassr, who signed Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United in December.
The Blues may also lose England midfielder Mason Mount but have rejected a second offer, believed to be worth £50m, from Manchester United.
Kovacic’s arrival at City, meanwhile, will help the champions mitigate the loss of Ilkay Gundogan if the Germany midfielder joins Barcelona.