Kai Havertz gave up a seven-figure bonus in order to complete his move to Chelsea this summer, according to reports in Germany.
The 21-year-old completed his transfer from Bayer Leverkusen last week with Chelsea paying an initial €80 million (£72.7m) fee with a further €20m (£18.1m) due in performance-related add-ons.
According to Sport Bild, a major breakthrough in negotiations between the two clubs came at the end of August when Leverkusen’s hierarchy met with Chelsea director, Marina Granovskaia, in the French Riviera.
Chelsea indicated that they were willing to meet Leverkusen’s asking price and talks centred around how the deal would be structured in terms of bonuses.
But Sport Bild reports that Havertz played a major role in speeding up the move by agreeing to forfeit a significant bonus.
It’s claimed that Havertz was due to receive up to 10 per cent of his final transfer fee due to a clause in his contract with Leverkusen.
However, Havertz told Leverkusen that he would give up that fee owed to him and instead agreed to receive part of the amount if some of the more difficult add-ons are achieved with Chelsea.
The add-ons for Havertz’s deal include separate payments for Chelsea qualifying for the Champions League and the club winning the Premier League title.
Havertz has signed a five-year contract with Chelsea reportedly worth around £300,000 a week.
Havertz has also requested Chelsea’s No.29 shirt – the number he wore during his spell at Leverkusen.
The No.29 is currently worn by Fikayo Tomori, who is closing in on a loan move to Everton.
