CHELSEA owner Roman Abramovich reportedly took control in the transfer to bring Kai Havertz to Stamford Bridge.
The 21-year-old joined from Bayer Leverkusen on a five-year deal on Friday in a deal believed to be worth in the region of £70million.
And according to the Express, Abramovich took the wheel in conducting business as he pushed to sign Havertz instead of boss Frank Lampard.
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They claim that the Russian billionaire and the Blues board were desperate to secure the signing of the German playmaker this summer.
With other potential suitors such as Real Madrid not having the funds to sign Havertz this window due to the coronavirus pandemic, Chelsea wanted to land the player now.
And fans of the West London club will be hoping Havertz doesn’t flatter to deceive like Andriy Shevchenko.
The Express add that the former Ukrainian striker was the last big-money signing that Abramovich pushed for regardless of how the manager felt.
After banging in 172 goals in 296 games for AC Milan, Shevchenko scored just 23 goals in 77 matches for the Blues.
And Abramovich will be delighted that they managed to sign Havertz for £20m less than Leverkusen’s asking price.
Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia – dubbed ‘the most powerful woman in football’ – has been influential in transfer negotiations.
One of Abramovich’s most-trusted allies, the 45-year-old managed to recoup £175million for David Luiz, Oscar and Alvaro Morata.
And Chelsea will also end up banking £143m from selling Eden Hazard to Los Blancos – £13m more than what was originally expected.
