Real Madrid transfer news: Can Kai Havertz replace Karim Benzema?

Deal in final stages 

With Karim Benzema set to leave Real Madrid this summer, the search for a new striker has begun for the LaLiga giants. One name that emerged at the weekend is Kai Havertz. According to a report by Bild, a deal that would see Havertz leave Chelsea and join Madrid is close to being completed. The German newspaper reported that head coach Carlo Ancelotti and Madrid president Florentino Perez are big fans of the 23-year-old forward.

“We need signings in attack, and we will do that,” Ancelotti said after the Benzema departure was made official. “We want to sign a striker that can score goals and link up well – so, a striker that plays football well.” That does not necessarily sound like a classic no.9 and could further underline that Havertz is indeed Madrid’s number one target this summer. 

But are Chelsea willing to sell the German star? After all, Havertz joined Chelsea for €80 million in the summer of 2020, which at the time was a club record fee for the Premier League side. That transfer record has since been broken three times as Chelsea signed Wesley Fofana (€80.4m from Leicester), Romelu Lukaku (€113m from Inter Milan), and Enzo Fernández (€121m from Benfica). Then there is Mykhaylo Mudryk. The Ukrainian joined for an initial €70m but that fee can grow to €100m once performance-based bonuses have been met. In fact, the spending spree under new owner Todd Boehly, which has seen Chelsea spend €611.49m this season, means that the London-based club will have to sell some assets this upcoming summer to comply with UEFA’s Financial Fair Play.

Havertz to Real Madrid – Are Chelsea willing to sell?

With that in mind, there is certainly a chance that Chelsea would be willing to sell the German for the right price. Especially, when one considers that in Christopher Nkunku, yet another forward, is set to join the club this summer. Madrid, in the meantime, are willing to spend big as the club is set to rejuvenate an aging squad and lay the groundwork for a new era. 

The real question is whether Havertz can replace Benzema. Although Havertz was converted from an attacking midfielder to a false-9 hybrid type of player by previous Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel, the 23-year-old never managed to score in the double-digits in the Premier League. In what was a brutal season for everyone at the club, Havertz managed just seven goals and one assist in 35 Premier League games last season. 

In fact, Havertz’s most prolific campaign was in 2018/19, when he managed 17 goals and four assists in 34 Bundesliga games for Leverkusen. That season the German, however, was not employed as a true no.9. That is one part of the story. Because a glimpse at Havertz’s positional statistics highlights that he has scored 29 goals and six assists in 78 games when he was employed as a center-forward. In comparison, Havertz managed just 32 goals but an incredible 29 assists in 143 games as an attacking midfielder. 

Havertz: Can the German replace Benzema?

With all that in mind, it is hard to believe that Havertz could replace the 31 goals and six assists that Benzema scored in 43 games last season. But perhaps with Benzema leaving the club, Madrid are looking for a new tactical orientation. Plus Benzema too has often drifted into that no.10 role when needed. Havertz could be part of a more flexible attacking line that would see more positional interplay between a center-forward and the Brazilian wingers Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo. 

Two key stats provided by Opta highlight that Havertz could be an upgrade in that department. The German led the French forward with 96 to 17 aerial duels won last season, which would add a significant dimension to Real’s attack. As for the interplay with other forwards, Havertz—despite a poor season—led Benzema with 44 to 42 layoffs. 

Then there is the fact that despite Havertz not being prolific in the position, coaches tend to play him in that role. Whether it was Tuchel or Graham Potter for Chelsea or Joachim Löw and Hansi Flick for Germany, the 23-year-old continues to be employed as a no.9. Some of it might be due to the fact that coaches continue to struggle to find the best role for Havertz and some might be the lack of a good alternative in that position—the truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

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