Real Madrid: Would Kai Havertz be worth the price?

Real Madrid have been linked to Bayer Leverkusen attacking midfielder Kai Havertz, but would he be worth the price for Los Blancos?

When it comes to Real Madrid, transfer rumors are always running wild. Florentino Perez constantly keeps an eye out for players in their prime who can help Real immediately compete for championships, while he’s also just as keenly aware of up-and-coming talents.

Kai Havertz falls into both categories. You won’t find many non-strikers who are 20 and have Havertz’s eye for goal. Technically, Havertz is capable of scoring goals that few others could dream of, as his coordination and intelligence of the ball also enable him to rack up opportunities on a Bayer Leverkusen team that is built around his skill-set.

It seems like Havertz’s most likely landing spot in 2020 is Bayern Munich, as most elite players in the Bundesliga, especially German players, end up in Bavaria. But Havertz has also been linked to Real Madrid, Liverpool, and Barcelona, as those three clubs may be the most prestigious in Europe right now.

Between Barca and Real, Barca may have the advantage, but Real’s links to Havertz have been intriguing. Mundo Deportivo’s Miguel Rico recently reported Los Blancos’ interest in Havertz, reminding readers that Bayer Leverkusen want nothing less than 100 million euros for their most valuable player.

That is absolutely a fair price for Havertz. He is a game-changing talent with all the qualities to be an elite central attacking midfielder. Havertz scored a whopping 17 goals last season, which is an astounding total for any non-striker, but especially a teenager.

While Havertz hasn’t been quite as unstoppable this season without world-class midfield partner Julian Brandt, he’s still enjoyed a successful campaign thus far. Hence why teams like Real and Barca are still monitoring Havertz as a possible splash signing in summer 2020, when the player is essentially guaranteed to leave Bayer.

So the issue isn’t whether or not a 20-year-old capable of scoring 17 goals in a season is worth 100 million euros. It’s whether or not Havertz is worth 100 million euros to Real Madrid.

Real absolutely could use Havertz’s goals, seeing as how Karim Benzema remains their only reliable source of goals. That could change once Eden Hazard hits the ground running and if James Rodriguez can establish himself as a regular, but a 15-goal threat would be ideal as a partner to Benzema.

But Los Blancos already have eyes on Kylian Mbappe, who will likely shatter Neymar’s transfer record. Mbappe is the same age as Havertz but scored 33 goals (nearly double Havertz’s!) last season. More importantly, he is a goal-scoring winger, which is a void that Real still need to fill, whereas they can still be strong with Toni Kroos or James as playmaking attacking midfielders in front of Casemiro and Fede Valverde (or Luka Modric).

Currently, Real have a surplus of attacking midfield talent, but that talent is aging. Despite his solid play, James’s place in Madrid isn’t necessarily guaranteed beyond 2019-2020, and the transfer rumors have been swirling most strongly around Isco.

Neither are guaranteed to leave, but Isco could easily be replaced by the affordable Christian Eriksen this summer. And if that happens, Havertz becomes a luxury signing, since the older but prolific Eriksen will have that No. 10 role locked down. Additionally, Eriksen is more versatile than Havertz, who cannot play as a No. 8 or a narrow winger like Eriksen or Isco could.

Havertz’s talent is undeniable, but his cost and lack of versatility hurt his value. If Havertz’s cost is comparable to Donny van de Beek’s, Real may prefer van de Beek. The Ajax midfielder may not be as technically gifted or have the eye for goal, giving him less superstar upside. But he may fit Real better due to his versatility and all-round play, so if he comes at a cheaper cost than Havertz, he’d likely be a more ideal signing.

I wouldn’t say that Havertz is a “wasteful” option for Real Madrid, because he’s far too talented to have any associations. But Real have to be careful with who they target if they want to go all-in on Mbappe at some point, so I’d consider Havertz highly unlikely when looking at the overall makeup of Real’s squad.