Leverkusen coach Bosz confirms Chelsea target Havertz will not be left out of Rangers clash

Chelsea target Kai Havertz is "100 per cent still fighting" for Bayer Leverkusen and will play against Rangers in the Europa League, says head coach Peter Bosz.

Germany attacking midfielder Havertz has long been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge, with Goal reporting last week that Chelsea have made the 21-year-old their primary target after already signing Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner this summer.

Leverkusen have set their asking price at €100 million (£90m/$111m), but Chelsea feel that they will eventually be able to secure the Germany international for around €76m (£70m/$87m).

The Blues saw their hopes of landing Havertz boosted earlier this week when Bayern Munich confirmed that they are no longer in the running to sign the Leverkusen star.

Bayern's honorary president Uli Hoeness confirmed that his side did not have the finances needed to sign Havertz after making another major move already this summer.

"I am sure that after Leroy Sane there will be no major transfers this year," Hoeness told German newspaper FAZ.

"That has nothing to do with the quality of Havertz. We all think he is a very, very good player."

The Blues have acted swiftly in the market, with Ziyech and Werner already on board – the latter opting not to finish RB Leipzig's Champions League campaign.

But Havertz will be involved on Thursday when Leverkusen return to Europa League action for the second leg of their last-16 tie against Rangers at the BayArena, where the Bundesliga side will start with a 3-1 aggregate lead.

"I will answer these questions [about Havertz] very shortly," Bosz told a pre-match news conference. 

"Yes, he will play and yes I'm convinced he's 100 per cent still fighting for Leverkusen."

Following the completion of the round of 16, the Europa League – which was halted in March by the coronavirus pandemic – will be concluded with a knockout-style tournament in Germany.

But Bosz warned his side not to look further than their date with Rangers.

"We can only win the tournament if we win against Rangers. It doesn't make any sense to dream ahead to the upcoming matches," he added.

"I've tried to convey this to the players that they see it that way.

"We want to progress. If I need players tomorrow who may be at risk of being suspended, they will still play. Our focus is only on progressing."