Pep Guardiola has a plethora of attacking midfielders at his disposal, including Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, and Cole Palmer, but Simon Phillips believes Manchester City is interested in Kai Havertz.
The Blues paid £72 million for the 23-year-old in 2020, and he has three years left on his contract, but his long-term future is uncertain because he hasn’t been consistent on the pitch.
Havertz has been on the bench for two of Chelsea’s last three Champions League games, and he was an unused substitute in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United, so he has a lot to prove.
However, it is unclear why City would want to sign the German international, given that Guardiola has better options in his squad and would have to pay a high fee to do so.
Havertz does not improve the City squad, and attacking midfield is not an area Guardiola is desperate to improve, so Simon Phillips’ claims appear to be unfounded.
The 23-year-old has made 107 appearances for Chelsea in all competitions, scoring 26 goals and assisting 14 others. Havertz had 14 goals and six assists in 47 games last season, but he’s only had three goals and zero assists in 15 games this season.
The city would not pay more than £70 million for an underperforming playmaker when De Bruyne, Gundogan, Foden, and Silva are all capable of doing so. Palmer is also being groomed for the long term, so Guardiola has a young alternative to work with.
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