Liverpool have been linked with Kai Havertz once again in the last few days.
Reports back in December claimed the Reds had held talks with the 20-year-old’s representatives, and the latest news suggests the Anfield outfit could lodge a club-record bid of €125m (£107m) for the Germany international (German media via Mundo Deportivo). It seems to be a transfer rumour that will rumble on and on until the Bayer Leverkusen man chooses his next club.
The big fat Liverpool quiz of 2019 – how much do you remember about the last year at Anfield?
He has not been in such great form this term, managing just two goals and one assist in 14 Bundesliga matches prior to their winter break, but last season he registered 17 strikes and four lay-offs in 34 games respectively.
Would he be a good signing for the Reds? We asked four of our writers to give their verdicts.
Vijievan Jeevathayalan
“Having seen Emre Can fall by the wayside and end up joining Juventus, Jurgen Klopp would likely relish the chance to work with another German talent in Kai Havertz. The 52-year-old showed in his time as Borussia Dortmund manager that he can help take players to the next level – just look at how Mario Gotze, Mats Hummels and Ilkay Gundogan all eventually earned high-profile moves to the likes of Bayern Munich and Manchester City respectively. Havertz’s stumbles this season at Bayer Leverkusen – he has managed just three goals compared to when he scored 20 times last year – proves he is still in need of some vital learning. And who better to provide him with that than Klopp? The Liverpool boss has developed the likes of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah into players who have just finished in the top five of the most recent Ballon d’Or rankings. Still only 20, Havertz could grow into a superstar under Klopp.”
Domagoj Kostanjsak
“To me, this looks like the signing that would finally fill the void left by Philippe Coutinho a couple of years back. Kai Havertz is one of the top young talents in the world at the moment and brings about pace, technical prowess and creativity, as evidenced by his average of 2.4 key passes per game. But the problem is, Liverpool have already moved on from Coutinho, and don’t seem to need someone to fill in the attacking-midfielder or a no.10 role anymore. A world-record fee for someone who wouldn’t necessarily have a defined place in the team doesn’t seem like good business to me. Jurgen Klopp could alter the system to accommodate him but I don’t see that happening either since the current one is now a well-oiled machine.”
James Beavis “If Jurgen Klopp is looking for another player who will fit into his philosophy at Liverpool, he should look no further than Kai Havertz. The German manager clearly likes players with the right attitude who are willing to do everything they can on the pitch to help the team, and an interview the Bayer Leverkusen youngster did last year on Bundesliga.com suggests he would fit in perfectly under Klopp. “He said: “I often take on responsibility, but I’m okay with that. It’s a different kind of pressure. People maybe see you a bit differently and if you play badly, which is normal every now and then as a young player, you’re criticised a bit more, but that’s normal and I think I can deal with that pressure.”“And he would certainly be under pressure to succeed should he join Liverpool for a world-record fee, but the signs are that the 20-year-old has a maturity beyond his years, and is willing to step up and take on extra responsibility even given his age. “The pressure at Anfield wouldn’t only come from the potential price tag either, and he would be expected to perform to a high standard consistently if he wanted to be a regular in the starting XI for a club who intend to dominate in both the Premier League and the Champions League. 31 goals and 23 assists in 126 matches for Leverkusen to date shows the potential is there.” Jack Saville
“Liverpool’s imperious form in the Premier League since the beginning of the 2017/18 campaign has been enthralling to witness but it won’t continue indefinitely if the club fail to make the right moves in the transfer market. While Jurgen Klopp’s heavy metal brand of football is working to devastating effect right now, eventually his tactical approach will turn stale if he fails to tweak his system accordingly.
“As a natural number ten Kai Havertz is not a player who slots into the current side, but with Marko Grujic set to return in the summer and Fabinho established as the Mascherano-Alonso hybrid Liverpool have always dreamed of, the Bundesliga star could be the perfect candidate to operate at the highest point of a three man midfield next season. Financially speaking, the alleged money involved is a huge gamble for Michael Edwards but the signings of Virgil van Dijk and Alisson prove high risk equals high reward.”