Football: Havertz in Bayern's sights

Leaders wary of Leverkusen's prolific striker who is on verge of a deal with the Bavarians

Leverkusen's 20-year-old forward Kai Havertz (in white) vying for the ball with Freiburg's Dominique Heintz during their Bundesliga match last month. The youngster will be looking to add to his 15-goal total this season against Bayern Munich today.
Leverkusen's 20-year-old forward Kai Havertz (in white) vying for the ball with Freiburg's Dominique Heintz during their Bundesliga match last month. The youngster will be looking to add to his 15-goal total this season against Bayern Munich today. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

BERLIN • In Timo Werner, Chelsea are on the brink of snagging one of the brightest jewels in the Bundesliga, but Bayern Munich are intent on securing the other prized gem of German football.

The Bavarian giants travel to Bayer Leverkusen today with one hand on their eighth consecutive league title, boasting a seven-point lead over second-placed Borussia Dortmund with just five games left.

Their rivals still have a sliver of hope Hansi Flick's men will slip up, but if the unthinkable is to happen, it will have to occur during this one-week period.

Bayern have, on paper, a tougher run-in than Dortmund and their next two games, including hosting Borussia Monchengladbach next Saturday, are against top-four contenders.

Leverkusen are in fifth spot - level with Monchengladbach (56) before Marco Rose's side faced Freiburg in a late game yesterday.

Leverkusen's bid to secure back-to-back Champions League appearances has been primarily fired by Kai Havertz. The 20-year-old, who former England midfielder Owen Hargreaves has branded a "hybrid of Michael Ballack and Mesut Ozil", has been a revelation this season.

He has scored seven goals in his last six appearances for a total tally of 15 in all competitions.

Havertz remains on track to better his career-best tally of 20 goals in a season, which was set last term, and his form has not gone unnoticed by Europe's biggest clubs, with Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester United known suitors.

Bayern, though, are reportedly in the box seat to land the €100 million-rated (S$157.5 million) Germany midfielder, with the Independent yesterday claiming that they "hope to conclude a deal in the next few weeks".

If Bayern need any more convincing, there will be no bigger audition for him than at the BayArena today, but Flick is already sold on his talents.

At his pre-match virtual press conference yesterday, the Bayern coach, who confirmed the availability of Spain midfielder Thiago Alcantara after missing their past three games through injury, said: "I've known him since the Under-17s. He has developed enormously well at Leverkusen. He moves very well between the lines and has a strong instinct to

Last November, 10-man Leverkusen sprang a shock 2-1 away win over Bayern and Flick is well aware of the damage their opponents is capable of inflicting.

However, his side remain undefeated this year and the 55-year-old backed his players to continue their march towards silverware.

"The way we are playing is good. We are hungry for goals. That's exactly how we want to approach this next game," he said.


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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on June 06, 2020, with the headline Football: Havertz in Bayern's sights. Subscribe