Arsenal and Liverpool target leaves door open for summer transfer

Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Kai Havertz has refused to rule out a move away from the German club this summer.

The 19-year-old is one of the hottest prospects in European football and has been linked with Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Liverpool in recent months.

And Havertz, who has made 98 appearances for Leverkusen since making his debut at 17, gave a cryptic answer when asked whether he could move on at the end of the season.

“I know that I have a contract here and I want to do everything I can to help us qualify for international competition next season,” he told Eurosport.

“There is a lot of speculation, but I still have a contract here until 2022. In the summer we will know more.

“I do not believe everything that's in the paper. There's a lot of talk in general, some things are true, some are not, I personally am good with the headlines because I know what I want.”

Havertz is thought to be valued at around £86m, which could be a stumbling block to Arsenal’s hopes of landing the Germany international.

Unai Emery’s side face Newcastle on Monday as they continue to fight for a top-four finish in the Premier League.

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Greg Lea

Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).