LIVERPOOL FC TRANSFER NEWS: KAI HAVERTZ – LATEST

Bayer Leverkusen boss Peter Bosz says only Kai Havertz can decide whether or not he’s ready for a challenge elsewhere.

The 20-year-old midfielder is currently at the top of Jürgen Klopp’s wanted list and has been deemed a primary transfer target for the summer 2019 window. A number of other Premier League clubs including Manchester City and Manchester United have also been linked with him, as have the usual suspects across Europe.

His manager wants him to stay where he is and he has commented several times that he hopes the highly-rated player will remain at The Bay Arena for a couple more seasons at least. However, the temptation to make a big money move in the summer could prove too difficult for Havertz to turn down.

Bosz said: “Of course I would like to keep him, just as I would have liked to keep Julian Brandt, for example.

“Kai is only 20 and still has room for improvement. I can help him there.

“But it is like this, at the end the player himself must feel when he is ready for the next step. Nobody can decide that for him.”

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Havertz scored his first goal for the German national side in their 2-2 draw against Argentina during the recent round of international fixtures.

Commenting last week on speculation surrounding Havertz, his international manager Joachim Löw said: “I’ll talk to him on occasion, but not now and not this year.

“He’s supposed to be playing in Leverkusen, where he plays regularly, that’s the biggest advantage for a young player like that.

“He made a clear decision for himself and with those around him to stay in Leverkusen. I don’t know what will happen next year, but he certainly has many opportunities.

“I already trust him to have a very good career, absolutely. But he has already started.”

The player responded by saying that he appreciated the advice that had been given to him by Löw. “I listen to many people but in the end it will be my decision,” he said. “I will embrace any advice Low will give me because he has a lot experience – it wouldn’t be smart to not listen to him.”

Havertz was recently nominated for the 2019 Golden Boy award alongside the likes of Phil Foden, Matthijs de Ligt, Vinicius Junior, Joao Felix and Jadon Sancho. Lionel Messi, Wayne Rooney, Kylian Mbappe and Sergio Aguero are previous winners of the prestigious award which was established by Italian sports newspaper Tuttosport in 2003. Newspapers that participate in voting include The Times, A Bola (Portugal), Ta Nea (Greece), Bild (Germany), Blick (Switzerland), l’Équipe (France), France Football (France), Marca (Spain), Mundo Deportivo (Spain), Sport Express (Russia) and De Telegraaf (Netherlands). The winner will be announced on December 16th.

KOPTALK sources insist that Havertz is a primary target and that Jürgen Klopp is receiving detailed scouting reports on a weekly basis. We strongly advise monitoring his situation between now and the summer.