There’s a saying that ‘who wants it the most ought to go for it the most’. This might well be the story of Chelsea and rivals, Liverpool. The two clubs have been strongly linked with RB Leipzig’s striker Timo Werner, with Liverpool believed to be favourites for his signature.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp had long held talks with Werner, and the German striker had admitted that he was keen on a move to the Reds.
However, it is Chelsea who had gone on to trigger his release clause, as reports confirm that Chelsea have moved ahead of Liverpool to sign the German star. The Blues only had a few days to trigger the £49 million release clause in Timo Werner’s contract at RB Leipzig that runs until the summer of 2023.
The German’s buyout clause expires on June 15, and Chelsea might be forced to pay an astronomical fee for the German if it goes beyond June 15. Sky Sports have now confirmed that Chelsea have agreed a deal in principle to sign Timo Werner from RB Leipzig.
It is believed that Chelsea have offered a £200,000-a-week contract to Werner, in a move to beat Liverpool to the signing of the highly-rated striker. Chelsea fans might be jumping for joy wherever they are, but Liverpool fans have reacted angrily to this news.
“Laughable. Best club in Europe yet we act small time. But 8 million spent in 2 years so it’s sound,” a Liverpool supporter fumed. Another angry Reds fan penned: “Timo Werner wants to join us, and has stated this publicly.
“Jurgen Klopp wants to sign Timo Werner, and has held talks with him multiple times. I’m sorry, but if we let him go to a direct rival over £10-15m, we’re absolutely pathetic.”
“Embarrassing from the owners 2 straight years of making profits we cannot spend 50 plus million,” said another. Another wrote: “Absolute shambles.” One more said: “50m in today’s market is nothing, especially the calibre of Werner, gutted if he signs for Chelsea.”