Liverpool need to be very cautious over reported Kai Havertz fee

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Mundo Deportivo claims that Liverpool could pay a £107m fee for Kai Havertz. Liverpool need to be cautious over the Bayer Leverkusen midfielder, however.

That fee is clearly enormous and it would make Havertz Liverpool’s most expensive player ever. Is he worth it, though?

On talent and potential, yes. Havertz is one of the most exciting young talents in world football and it’s easy to see how the German could fit in.

He’s a versatile, attacking centre-midfielder, after all. His place in the midfield three looks clear and he’s only 20 – an incredible age for a player who has achieved what he has.

Because last season, Havertz bagged 17 goals from midfield in the Bundesliga. That’s an extraordinary amount that suggests he’s an extraordinary player. If Liverpool could add that to their midfield, they’d seem unstoppable.

But there’s a reason to be cautious. Havertz hasn’t looked like repeating that figure this season. In fact, he’s only scored twice in the Bundesliga this season.

Liverpool would have to look at things incredibly carefully before committing to any extravagant fee. Is he capable of repeating that 17-goal haul or was it a one-off?

The team at Leverkusen changed, for one thing. Julian Brandt, Havertz’s midfield partner, left for Borussia Dortmund and thus the team lost its most creative player. That would limit anyone’s goal-tally.

Then there’s the consideration that it may have just been a freak year where everything went right for Havertz. Can Liverpool replicate those conditions? Probably not.

Then, on the positive side of things, this season might just be a difficult one. He’s only 20 and he’s well within his right to have a below-par season because of that.

But it also means Liverpool can look back at a previous transfer failure for consideration, too. The Reds failed to sign Thomas Lemar on the back of a wonderful 16/17 season. It turned out that he struggles to deliver like that on a regular basis, however, and Liverpool’s failure now looks like a success.

Havertz is clearly a very talented player. But when it comes to paying a fee like £107m, the Reds better be absolutely certain.