The German legend believes the talented youngster should delay a transfer to the Bundesliga giants
Michael Ballack believes rising Bayer Leverkusen star Kai Havertz isn’t ready for a move to Bayern Munich amid growing links to the Bundesliga champions.
Havertz, still only 20, has continued to turn heads in the Bundesliga this season with four goals and two assists to his name.
That solid form comes after he netted 17 times in the league across the 2018-19 campaign to attract plenty of transfer interest over the summer and recent winter window.
Bayern have a strong history of picking up the brightest German talents and while Havertz would appear to fit the bill, Ballack believes a potential transfer at season’s end would still come too soon for both.
“At Bayern you need other characteristics to assert yourself. Just being good is not enough there,” Ballack told Sport1.
“[Havertz needs] time and the robustness to be mentally prepared for Bayern. He is still in the development phase and still has mistakes in his game.”
The young midfielder is currently contracted to Leverkusen until 2022 with the Bundesliga club expected to demand in excess of €100 million (£84m/$110m) to let him leave early.
While Ballack has called for Bayern to show patience in any potential pursuit of Havertz, he does admit the talented youngster is exactly the type of player the club should look to sign in the future.
“If the Bavarians act in perspective and you still have the claim to get the best German players, Havertz has to be brought in,” Ballack added.
Should Havertz move from Leverkusen to Munich he would follow in the direct footsteps of Ballack, who himself swapped the same clubs in 2002.
In Ballack’s final season with Leverkusen, he enjoyed his best return in front of goal with the midfielder finding the back of the net 17 times in the league.
The German international took that from with him to Bayern where he struck 44 times across 107 Bundesliga appearances before he moved to Chelsea in 2006.
After four seasons in the Premier League, Ballack ultimately returned to Leverkusen for a further two campaigns before he hung up his boots in 2012.
Leverkusen are currently fifth in the Bundesliga, while Bayern are leading the league by one point to second-placed RB Leipzig.
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