HAVERTZ DEAL TO SET NEW TRANSFER BENCHMARK

 

Premier League side Chelsea will sign Kai Havertz in a deal worth £90m, including add-ons. The final deal to bring the German international from Bay Arena to Stamford Bridge won’t just be significant in London but across Europe. The deal is expected to set a new benchmark for transfers amid Covid19 pandemic. It is a transfer that will shape how the rest of the window will pan out elsewhere, most particularly between Manchester United and Jadon Sancho.


Following the impact of the Covid19 pandemic and the knock-on effect on the financial situation of football clubs, there has been an uncertainty over what a player’s valuation should actually be.

Manchester United were willing to pay up £120 million to sign Sancho this summer. But things have changed when the 2019-2020 season was put on hold amid the outbreak of the deadly virus. Leading to loss of revenue for several Clubs running into several millions of dollars – United among them. The aftermath of the financial implication has made United uncomfortable breaking the £100 million mark.

The Red Devils were determined to improve on the club record £89 million they paid for Paul Pogba in 2016. Even at that, it is still falling short of Borussia Dortmund’s mega valuation of Sancho. However, with Havertz’s deal, a whole new benchmark for high profile transfers has been set ahead of the October deadline.

The deal has been done and every other deal will now depend on whether the players involved are perceived as more or less valuable than Havertz. Sancho is expected to stay with Dortmund for another year at least. Dortmund has stated that the Englishman is part of their plans for the new season.

Former Manchester United winger Luis Nani knows it will be difficult for United to sign Sancho after Dortmund’s latest piece of information on the player. But he believes the two sides can still reach a compromise on the mega deal that will most definitely shatter the club’s record signing of Pogba in 2016.