INCOMING Chelsea signing Kai Havertz reportedly favoured a move to Real Madrid before the coronavirus pandemic scuppered his dream.
The Bayer Leverkusen playmaker is closing in on a £90million switch to Stamford Bridge after the 21-year-old completed a medical.
But it has been claimed that the Blues were not the German's first choice, with the player favouring a move to the Bernabeu.
CHELSEA NEWS LIVE: Click here for the latest Blues news
According to , Havertz was desperate to link up with Los Blancos, and is only joining Chelsea as Real do not have the funds to land him.
They state that the plan was for Havertz to sign for Madrid this summer, but that soon became an impossibility due to Covid-19.
It has been suggested that Bayern Munich also came in for him, but he rejected them out of his desire to wear the famous white jersey.
And as a result of Real being unable to afford him, Havertz had no choice but to sit down with the West London outfit and negotiate a deal.
During the talks, it is said that he was convinced to join the ambitious Chelsea project.
His transfer to Chelsea is now expected to be officially announced in the coming days.
latest chelsea news
Havertz is in line to become the club's top earner, with it understood he will pocket £310,000-a-week.
He will link up with German compatriots Timo Werner and Antonio Rudiger, with the latter stating he has helped persuade him to join.
Rudiger said: "I made my contribution to Timo. I hope that it will happen with Kai too."