KAI HAVERTZ has revealed that he is willing to pay out of his own pocket for travel to Chelsea’s away game.
The Blues are in turmoil due to sanctions placed on owner Roman Abramovich after he was named on a UK Government sanctions list related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Kai Havertz is willing to pay for his own travel to Chelsea’s away matches
Chelsea could be facing a 10-hour gruelling round trip to Middlesbrough on Saturday
Part of their ‘licence’ to operate as a club includes a limited budget for getting to fixtures on the road as well as being unable to buy any players or offer any new contracts.
Chelsea are only able to spend £20,000 on travel for away matches – which plunges their Champions League defence into chaos.
And that strict budget will be tested this week when they head to Lille in France for the second leg of their last-16 showdown.
They will then travel to Middlesbrough on Saturday for the FA Cup quarter final – a game the Blues want behind closed doors due to being unable to sell any tickets to their fans.
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However, Chelsea’s German striker Havertz has claimed that he would have no issue paying his own way to an away fixture.
Replying to the question, the 22-year-old said: “I would pay no problem.
“That’s not a big deal for us. For us to get to the games is the most important thing.
“There are a lot of harder things in the world right now than us taking a bus or plane to an away game and I would pay it is no problem.”
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The Blues would ordinarily fly out on a private plane the day before the match and stay in a luxury hotel.
However, that is likely to breach the £20,000 budget laid out in the ‘Russian regulations’.
As reported by Player Care Group founder Hugo Scheckter, a ‘usual Premier League away game including a flight, security, food and hotels’ would cost at least £30,000 – and that is a conservative calculation.
Ironically, Lille are one of the closest teams to Chelsea on the continent – with the drive from the Cobham training ground just 180 miles to North-East France – an approximate three-and-a-half-hour drive.
But it’s the next match at Boro that could be the most gruelling.
Chelsea face a 536-mile round trip to Teesside for the 5.15pm kick off on Saturday.
