Kai Havertz is reportedly set to become Chelsea’s fifth-highest earner with a weekly wage of £140,000 BEFORE bonuses.
Chelsea’s technical adviser Petr Cech is expected in Germany on Sunday to meet Bayer Leverkusen and Havertz in order to put finishing touches to the Gernahy international’s move to Stamford Bridge.
Journalist Nicolo Schira claims Bayer Leverkusen’s star man has agreed personal terms with Chelsea ahead of a big-money transfer this summer.
Frank Lampard’s side are looking to pay £72million for a player valued at £90m by his club.
But the Blues have already held talks with Havertz and are believed to have struck personal terms on a five-year deal worth £140k per week.
The FA Cup final between Arsenal and Chelsea will take place on August 1 on BBC and BT Sport with Anthony Taylor as referee.
Having previously refereed the 2017 Emirates FA Cup Final between Arsenal and Chelsea, Taylor will join a unique group of officials to have taken charge of the Final on two occasions, becoming only the eighth person to do so and the first to repeat the duty since Arthur Kingscott in 1901.
The Blues booked their spot in the Wembley showdown by thumping Manchester United after Arsenal battled past Man City.
Now it has been confirmed the Londoners will go head-to-head on August 1 at 5.30pm.
The game will be shown live on BBC One and BT Sport 1.
Taylor has been named as referee for the game after previously overseeing the 2017 showdown between the same teams, which Arsenal won 2-1.
Stuart Attwell will be the video assistant referee (VAR), and will be joined by assistant VAR (AVAR) Steve Child.
There are reports that Real Madrid will hand Chelsea a boost in the race to land Kai Havertz.
Goal claim that Bayer Leverkusen may come in the form of Real youngster Reinier.
The Brazilian wonderkid has impressed since he moved to the Bernabeu in January and to continue the 18-year-old’s development Los Blancos bosses want him to gain first-team experience elsewhere.
The report suggests Leverkusen are looking at signing Reinier on a 12-month loan.
If that deal comes off then the German side may let Chelsea complete a move for Havertz.
Real Madrid had initally given a huge boost to Chelsea in their pursuit of Havertz thanks to an unexpected windfall triggered by Eden Hazard’s success at Real Madrid.
The Blues would supposedly receive a large chunk of cash after Los Blancos won the La Liga title earlier last week, giving Frank Lampard even more spending power in the summer transfer market.
Frank Lampard has cooled speculation over Callum Hudson-Odoi wanting to leave Chelsea after being frustrated over his lack of game time.
Hudson-Odoi, who signed a new five-year deal worth £120,000-a- week ten months ago, will face fierce competition for places next season after the signings of Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner.
Blues boss Lampard said: “I’ve spoken about Callum a lot, he needs to keep training at the highest level, which is what I’ve seen him doing, particularly in the last week or 10 days.
“In the two games he’s come on he’s had good impacts, in the last two performances, and that’s the way he needs to continue.
“He’s a young player with great talent, great potential, and I want to see that potential come through.”
And the Independent say Hudson-Odoi will not try to force a move but will assess his options.
He only signed a new five-year contract last September, worth £120,000 a week, after interest from Bayern Munich.
Chelsea have been frustrated in their attempts to sign Leicester’s Ben Chilwell and West Ham’s Declan Rice.
According to Goal, the two clubs are not prepared to listen to offers for their leading lights, reports Goal.
Both deals look unlikely at present, with the Foxes having quoted an unreachable upfront sum and Frank Lampard’s side having been unsuccessful in attempts to negotiate a fee that would include installment.
Lampard felt that the full-back would fit in well in his squad, with Chilwell having a number of friends in the Blues’ first-team.
However, Brendan Rodgers has no interest in letting one of his prized assets leave to a rival and Leicester do not need to sell, with Chilwell having four years left on his contract.
“There’s no intention to sell Ben Chilwell and there’s absolutely no need to sell,” Rodgers said last week. “So the message is he’s not for sale – it’s as simple as that.”
On the part of Declan Rice, West Ham are not prepared to allow their star to leave as underlined by their manager David Moyes who has declared that the England midfielder is next in line to become the club’s captain and will not be allowed to leave the club unless they are made an offer they cannot refuse.
“I am confident he will be here because he is under contract, but whatever club you are at, even the biggest clubs sell their best players at the right value,” said Moyes.
“My intention is not to sell Declan at all, my intention is to keep him.
“We can’t stop other clubs making offers but I’m guessing you [the media] will speculate, but the truth is we have had no offers for anybody. He is a really good player and I see him helping us, I hope that he sees what we are trying to add which will make him excited about being at West Ham.
“Declan was reassured when he signed a five-year contract, when you do that you decide you are committed to the club. If somebody then turns up and offers you a bundle of cash, that’s the club’s decision.
“I think Declan is the future captain of West Ham going forward. When Mark Noble comes to an end I think it will be Declan Rice. We have no intention of letting him go but if it does come it will need to be ‘Bank of England’ money.”
Lampard, a fan of the 21-year-old, is said to be desperate to add Rice to his team.
