Arsenal Winning Race to Sign Young German Star Kai Havertz Ahead of Premier League Rivals

Arsenal are ​reportedly edging ahead of ​Premier League rivals ​Liverpool and ​Manchester United in the race to sign young Germany and Bayer Leverkusen star Kai Havertz.

​The Gunners dispatched scouts to watch Havertz play for Germany Under-19s during the recent international break, with scouts from ​Southampton also in attendance.

Havertz came on as a first half substitute with the Germans trailing 3-1 to Norway and won a second half penalty. It was scored, but the Norwegians still romped to an impressive 5-2 victory in Arnsberg.

A few days later Germany Under-19s were back to winning ways with a 4-1 thrashing of the Netherlands, in which Havertz played the full 90 minutes, captained the side, provided an assist and scored a penalty.

Havertz came through the ranks at Bayer Leverkusen, having moved to the club when he was just 11 years old. He made his debut for Leverkusen in 2016 at the age of 17, making him the youngest player to represent the club at senior level.

He broke another record the following April when he scored a late equaliser in a ​Bundesliga match against Wolfsburg, making him the youngest scorer in the history of Bayer Leverkusen. He went on to add three more goals before the end of the season, including a final day brace against Hertha Berlin.

This season Havertz has become a regular for Heiko Herrlich's side, scoring three more goals but also adding quality to his game. He was ranked sixth in ​FourFourTwo's 2017 list of the 100 Best Teenagers in the World.