Arsenal have confirmed the signing of Chelsea striker Kai Havertz on a long-term contract.
Havertz becomes Arsenal’s first signing of the Premier League transfer window, with the club expected to fork out around £65 million for the 24-year-old forward.
The Germany international leaves Chelsea after three trophy-laden years in west London, where he won the Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup.
The former Bayer Leverkusen man bagged nine goals and one assist in 47 appearances for Chelsea across all competitions last season. He is set to begin a new chapter with cross-city rivals Arsenal.
“It’s super exciting for me to be joining this amazing club and to be part of the Arsenal family,” Havertz said after signing on the dotted line.
“This club has such a big history, and I hope we can achieve lots of things. The mentality in the Arsenal squad is very high, and you can feel that.
“The aim is to win trophies, and I’m going to give everything to do that for the supporters and everyone at the club. I’m now looking forward to meeting all the players and the staff when we come back for pre-season.”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta added: “Kai is a player of top quality. He has great versatility and is an intelligent player. He will bring a huge amount of extra strength to our midfield and variety to our play.
“We welcome Kai and his family to Arsenal Football Club, and we are all excited to start working with him when we start pre-season training soon.”
Havertz first arrived at Stamford Bridge in a big-money move from Leverkusen in 2020. He went on to make 139 appearances for Chelsea, scoring 32 times and setting up a further 15.
West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice could be the next to arrive at the Emirates Stadium this summer, with Arsenal keen on wrapping up a deal for the England international.
