TIMO WERNER will reject Chelsea and Manchester United in favour of signing for Liverpool, German reports say.
The RB Leipzig striker, who has a release clause of £51million, has his heart set on joining the European champions to work with German manager Jurgen Klopp.
Timo Werner ‘will reject’ Chelsea and Manchester United in favour of signing for LiverpoolCredit: EPA
According to Bild, Chelsea and United have contacted Werner’s agent to register their interest in a summer move, but the player is said to have no interest in the pair.
The problem for the 24-year-old is Liverpool do not want to commit to signing him just yet until they find out what effect the coronavirus pandemic will have on their finances and the transfer market.
And The Guardian reports that Anfield bosses have reached out to Werner’s representatives to work out a way to delay a transfer until later in the summer.
But they run the risk of his modest £51million release clause expiring in June, then allowing Leipzig to crank up the asking price for their star striker.
Before the coronavirus crisis struck, Werner was expected to move on after four years with Leipzig where he has scored 88 goals in 150 appearances, including 27 in 36 this season.
And Liverpool – who by far lead the race to sign the forward – received a major boost as he revealed he would rather take on a challenge abroad than move to German giants Bayern Munich.
He said: “Bayern are a great club, we don’t need to talk about it, and Hansi Flick has proven this season he is a really good head coach.
“But if a move were to become an issue at some point, I would be more tempted by a move abroad than a move to Bayern.
“It’s just that the challenge of another league would appeal to me a little more than a move within the Bundesliga. Of course, it also important that mutual respect is there as much as possible.
“That’s why I chose RB Leipzig at the time, and why I would choose the club for the next step as one where I would get that feeling.”
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
