For German striker Timo Werner, all roads now lead to Premier League club Chelsea (England). After being heavily linked with six-time UEFA Champions League winner Liverpool, the RB Leipzig No 11 is likely to move to Stamford Bridge for his buyout clause of 53 Million pounds ($67 Million).
The 24-year-old has his contract with Leipzig till June 15 but it appears that Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has been able to convince Chelsea board in signing the youngster. Premier League table topper Liverpool were the frontrunners in pursuing Werner with the club's German manager Jurgen Klopp managed to convince the board.
But with Coronavirus pandemic hitting the sports world hard financially, the club pulled out at the last moment. Liverpool, however, were keen to land Werner at Anfield, exploring to spread out the transfer cost over multiple seasons, besides lower price bids.
Werner, who is the second top scorer in the Bundesliga in the current season with 25 goals and seven assists, has agreed to a 200,000 pounds weekly wage with Chelsea in a five-year deal that will run till June 2025 according to The Telegraph.
Golden feet
Werner's stocks have risen significantly in recent times after starting his career with VfB Stuttgart. His goalscoring exploits in Germany's premier division helped many European clubs including Manchester United and Bayern Munich interested in signing the youngster. Thanks to his golden feet, Leipzig are now third on the league table with 58 points from 29 matches. He has also struck 11 times for the national team in just 29 appearances.
Chelsea rebuilding
Chelsea, after a two-window of transfer bans for violating FIFA's rule of international transfer and registration of players under 18 years of age, are back on the hunt for players in the transfer market. They are the only team in the Premier League, besides cash-rich Manchester City, who have a potential ban in the continental competition, to afford such a deal. Lampard after taking over last summer has been rebuilding the team but for the transfer ban.
Chelsea are currently fourth on the Premier League table with any hopes of claiming the title all but gone as Liverpool lead the table by a whopping 25 points before the league was suspended in March. But in the next season, which is likely to begin in September, Chelsea will vie for the title with another major signing in Ajax's Hakim Ziyech, who will join the club on July 1. With Werner and Ziyech on either wing and Tammy Abraham as the center forward, Chelsea will boast a formidable attacking line-up in the league.
However, Lampard may not be done yet as he is also targeting Borussia Dortmund's England international Jadon Sancho.
