Revealed: Arsenal tempted Kai Havertz from Chelsea with huge contract offer to make him club's highest-paid player

• Havertz arrives as highest-paid player
• Eclipses Partey contract
• Rice likely to join German at top of scale

WHAT HAPPENED? The German newspaper Bild report that the German arrives as the club's top earner at €20m (£17m/$22m) a year or €385,000 (£331,000/$420,500) a week with further bonuses available for helping the club to silverware. Thomas Partey was believed to be the previous highest-paid player on €12m (£10m/$13m) a year or €230,000 (£198,000/$250,000) per week.

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THE BIGGER PICTURE: Havertz enters a pay grade that had been obsolete at the Emirates since the departures of Pierre-Emerick Aubemeyang and Mesut Ozil in the previous two seasons.

AND WHAT'S MORE: But he should soon have company at the top of the charts with Declan Rice's impending arrival likely to surpass Havertz's transfer fee while matching him in wages. The success of the current squad also means that any contract renewals are likely to land in the same bracket.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

WHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL AND KAI HAVERTZ? After a few weeks off, Havertz will soon be meeting up with his new team-mates and jetting off on the club's pre-season tour of America.