Arsenal on Wednesday signed German attacking midfielder Kai Havertz from Chelsea on a “long-term contract”.
Neither club acknowledged a cost, although British media reported that Arsenal paid Chelsea 65 million pounds (75 million euros).
Although he is Arsenal’s first acquisition of the summer, the British press reported that the club had negotiated a fee of £105 million for West Ham’s England midfielder Declan Rice.
Havertz joined Chelsea from Bayer Leverkusen in 2020. He appeared in 139 games over three seasons, scoring 32 goals, including the game-winning goal in the 2021 UEFA Champions League final triumph over Manchester City.
Arsenal finished second in the Premier League last season, while Chelsea finished 12th after rebuilding their roster.
“The mentality in the Arsenal squad is very high and you can feel that. That was one of the reasons why it has been so hard to play against Arsenal recently,” Havertz told the Arsenal web site.
“The aim is to win trophies and I’m going to give everything to do that.”
He posted a farewell message to Chelsea on social media.
He said he was writing “with a heavy heart…saying goodbye to the club that has become my second home, and to the incredible fans who have supported me throughout this amazing journey.”
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said: “Kai is a player of top quality. He has great versatility and is an intelligent player. He will bring a huge amount of extra strength to our midfield and variety to our play.