Timo Werner to Chelsea latest: What we know so far about the £53m signing

Joe Krishnan18 June 2020

One of the biggest transfer sagas of the year is complete, with Timo Werner now heading to Chelsea.

Werner has established a firm reputation as one of European football's top marksmen, with his prolific goalscoring helping to establish RB Leipzig as German top-flight contenders and Champions League quarter-finalists.

The 24-year-old has scored 25 Bundesliga goals this season, and that form convinced Chelsea to swoop in ahead of their rivals with a £53million deal.

Liverpool had been frontrunners in the race to land the forward. So what has changed?

Here's what we know so far....

In Pictures | Timo Werner's career so far

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How did Chelsea win the race?

The Blues, who have been tracking Werner's progress all season and have been looking to add a forward since January, have enticed the Germany international with a five-year-deal worth £200,000-a-week.

Werner was a top target for Premier League rivals Liverpool, who were heavily linked with the forward after he revealed his admiration for Jurgen Klopp, describing his compatriot as the "best coach in the world".

But Standard Sport understands Liverpool did not end up placing a bid for Werner’s signature, having recently taken to strongly denying any desire to follow up on their past interest in Werner.

With Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino set to stay put this summer, the Reds feel they would have been unable to offer the sort of regular game time the 24-year-old might expect.

Klopp said: "Discussing with the players about things like salary waivers and on the other hand buying a player for £50-60m, we have to explain."

Were Manchester United interested?

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is a big admirer of the RB Leipzig striker, but United are prioritising other targets after securing an extension to Odion Ighalo’s loan deal.

Jadon Sancho remains at the top of Solskjaer’s wanted list – even after the financial impact of coronavirus has forced him to review their spending this summer.

Werner was among a list of strike targets drawn up by United’s transfer committee, along with Moussa Dembele and Erling Braut Haaland. But Solskjaer believes the deal to keep Ighalo at the club until January has alleviated the need to bring in a top-class striker when the window eventually opens.

He also wants to see how Mason Greenwood develops over the next six months to see if the teenager can establish himself as genuine competition to Anthony Martial at the point of United’s attack.

In Pictures | Manchester United 2020 summer transfer targets: Strikers

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Why is Werner so in-demand?

Quite simply, his goalscoring record speaks for itself.

Since joining Leipzig from Stuttgart in 2016, the 24-year-old has netted 92 goals in just 156 appearances across all competitions.

Werner equalled his personal Bundesliga tally from last season (21) before the coronavirus-enforced shutdown in March, and is five behind the top flight's top scorer Robert Lewandowski.

A reliable, prolific and versatile forward who is renowned for his movement and also chips in with his fair share of assists - eight in the Bundesliga so far - Werner has also notched 11 times in 29 outings for Germany since making his senior debut in 2017.

Timo Werner is very much a striker in considerable demand
Getty Images

Who else was interested?

Werner has also been linked with a move to Spain, but Barcelona (Lautaro Martinez) and Real Madrid (Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe) had other respective top targets.

Bayern Munich had also been mentioned in connection with Werner. However, the player himself appeared to close the door on a potential switch to the Allianz Arena last month by revealing that he would prefer to move abroad if he were to depart from Leipzig.

"Bayern are a great club. We don't need to talk about it," Werner said. "And [Bayern boss] Hansi Flick has proven this season that he's a really good coach. But if a transfer should ever become an issue, I would rather move abroad than to Bayern.

"It's just that the challenge in another league would appeal to me a little more than a transfer within the Bundesliga."

What have they said?

"[They] have Jurgen Klopp, the best coach in the world who is German. There are a lot of things that would suggest that my playing style might be a good fit" - Timo Werner on Liverpool

"The league is less important, but the club, from a purely hypothetical point of view, I would better see him in good hands with a club that is not necessarily defined by ball possession football" - Red Bull head of sport and former RB Leipzig coach Ralf Rangnick

"Chelsea could be a good fit, I just think he's perfect for Liverpool in a way, but he's not guaranteed to start" - BT Sport pundit Owen Hargreaves

"I do not have the impression that he is carrying a large cross with him. But he is a young guy who is sure to sit at home with his wife and ponder whether he will stay or change" - RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann

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