Kai Havertz crushed the dreams of one young Chelsea fan after he was asked to consider rejoining his former club from Arsenal this summer. The Germany international gave a brutally honest response when a supporter made the request while he was signing autographs at the national team's World Cup training base.
Havertz's blunt reply
'You wish, you wish,' said Havertz when asked if he would consider leaving Mikel Arteta's Arsenal to be part of Xabi Alonso's rebuilding project at Chelsea. The exchange was captured on video and quickly spread across social media, with many fans praising Havertz's loyalty to the Gunners.
Eyebrows were raised when Arteta chose to invest heavily in a player who never quite lived up to his billing during three tumultuous years at Stamford Bridge. While it is true that the course of his Arsenal career hasn't always run smoothly, the versatile Germany international has established himself as one of Arteta's most trusted players.
Havertz's rise at Arsenal
Having struggled to adapt to the midfield role he was initially earmarked for upon his arrival at Arsenal, Havertz has proven his worth in his more natural centre-forward role. The arrival of Viktor Gyokeres last summer threatened to push Havertz down the pecking order, and a succession of injuries meant he was unable to make an impact until the second half of the campaign.
Although Gyokeres ended his first season in north London as Arsenal's top goalscorer, it was Havertz who remained Arteta's go-to striker for the big occasion. Goals in the win over Burnley, which effectively helped seal the title, and his stunning strike in the Champions League final, albeit in a losing cause, underlined his importance to the Gunners' machine.
Chelsea's struggles
Chelsea, meanwhile, are a shadow of the side that Havertz left in the summer of 2023 and are about to embark on life under a fourth permanent manager since his departure in the shape of Xabi Alonso. Adding a new striker to the ranks is likely to be a priority for the former Liverpool midfielder, with Joao Pedro having been targeted by Barcelona and Liam Delap likely to be deemed surplus to requirements after failing to make the grade following his move from Ipswich.
A return to Stamford Bridge for Havertz is, of course, out of the question, but it didn't stop one young fan making an ambitious request. Despite his standing at Arsenal, it would be no surprise to see the English champions invest in their forward line again during the transfer window and provide Havertz with fresh competition.
Julian Alvarez transfer saga
Julian Alvarez has been heavily linked with a return to the Premier League, but the Atletico Madrid forward was the subject of a bid from Real Madrid on Tuesday. The Argentina international, 26, has scored 49 goals in 106 appearances for Atletico since joining from Manchester City in 2024. Alvarez, whose contract runs until 2030, reportedly wants to leave Diego Simeone's side this summer and has been linked with Arsenal and Barcelona.
Speaking before he was re-elected Madrid's president, Florentino Perez vowed to submit a club-record offer for an unnamed 'great player' this week. A statement released by Real on Tuesday read: 'Real Madrid CF announces that, following the meeting of the board of directors held today, it has made an offer of 150 million euros to Club Atletico de Madrid for the federative rights of the player Julian Alvarez. After reviewing and evaluating the offer, Club Atletico de Madrid has expressed its gratitude for the proposal, made within the framework of the good relations between both clubs, and has rejected it, referring to the player's release clause.'
Alvarez, who is preparing for Argentina's World Cup defence, registered 20 goals in 49 matches for Atletico this season, with 10 coming in the Champions League. Atletico later said they were 'neither considering nor evaluating any offers' for Alvarez. A series of posts on the Rojiblancos' X account began with five laughing emojis in response to Real's statement. 'You may have mistaken politeness for gratitude, but just to be clear: we are not thanking you for anything,' Atletico posted. 'We are neither considering nor evaluating any offers for Julian. How could we not get along, when you make us laugh even more than @FCBarcelona?'
