The Bundesliga side are resigned to losing their star man but are lining up high-profile alternatives ahead of a lucrative windfall
Bayer Leverkusen are lining up Roma forward Patrik Schick and Sassuolo winger Jeremie Boga in a double deal as they await a £90 million ($118m) windfall from the sale of Kai Havertz to Chelsea.
Chelsea are close to sealing a deal for the 21-year-old having reached Leverkusen's asking price in the latest round of talks, albeit with only £72m ($95m) coming up front and a further £18m ($24m) in instalments.
Schick looks destined for the BayArena as a direct replacement for Havertz, with Roma asking £26m ($34m) for the Czech forward. Leverkusen have so far only offered £22m ($29m) for the frontman who was on loan at RB Leipzig last season, but the Champions League semi-finalists appear unwilling to match Leverkusen's bid.
Leverkusen have also opened talks to bring in Boga from Sassuolo after he won plaudits for an impressive end to the season in Serie A.
However, the 23-year-old is also being courted by some of Italy's top clubs with Napoli most willing to pay a fee to release him from the Neroverdi, while Atalanta and Roma are also tracking him closely.
Having signed in Serie A from Chelsea, Boga would earn the Blues a sell-on fee understood to be worth between 10 and 15 per cent with Sassuolo having successfully negotiated the clause instead of a buyback option for the Stamford Bridge club.
The slow progress of the Havertz deal isn't thought to be hugely concerning for either party with the Blues having completed three signings this week and the German club chasing replacements.
Chelsea added three defenders this week with Ben Chilwell joining from Leicester City in a £50m ($66m) deal, while Thiago Silva and Malang Sarr signed contracts in west London having left Paris Saint-Germain and Nice respectively.
Sarr will go on loan after signing for the Blues on a five-year deal and has already told Chelsea about his preference to play in Germany to continue his development.
The defensive arrivals have led to clubs registering interest in Fikayo Tomori, with both English clubs and Ligue 1 outfit Rennes enquiring over his availability.
The Blues have still not put Tomori up for loan despite having signed Silva, with doubts remaining around all of the futures of Andreas Christensen, Kurt Zouma and Antonio Rudiger.
Chelsea are locked in negotiations still with AC Milan about the sale of Tiemoue Bakayoko, who will likely go on loan. The discussions centre around whether Milan will have an option to buy or whether it will be an obligatory purchase at the end of the one-year loan. Chelsea prefer the latter option with just two years left to run on Bakayoko's current contract.
Inter have expressed an interest in Emerson Palmieri but are uncomfortable about paying the Blues' £26m ($34m) asking price. Michy Batshuayi has also been made available, while several stars are in talks over loan moves away.