Chelsea have made “concrete steps” to sign Bayern Leverkusen forward Kai Havertz, according to Calciomercato.it. The Italian website claims the Blues have stepped up their interest in the German in recent weeks.

However, Frank Lampard’s men will face fierce competition from the likes of Juventus, Barcelona and Real Madrid who are all said to be eyeing a move for the 20-year-old.

Leverkusen’s asking price for Havertz may, though, put off some interested parties, with the Bundesliga club having reportedly increased their €100m (£89m) valuation to €120m (£107m).

Whether any club is prepared to pay such a sizeable amount in the current transfer market, it remains to be seen.

Chelsea are looking for a new striker but Havertz isn’t an out-and-out number nine. He prefers to play as a playmaker, coming deep for the ball, whilst he is also comfortable playing in wide areas.

The Blues already have players like Mason Mount and Ross Barkley in the squad who perform similar roles so a bid for the German international is probably unlikely.