The major breaking story of Thursday evening surrounded Chelsea and RB Leipzig star Timo Werner.
The German is one of the hottest talents in the Bundesliga right now, and has been for the last few seasons.
Werner enjoyed a solid 2018/19, notching 19 goals and 10 assists across 37 outings for Leipzig. But it is the current season in which the 24-year-old has reached impressive new heights.
All told, in 40 appearances for Julian Nagelsmann’s outfit, Werner has netted 31 and assisted 12. But if the widespread reports that emerged on Thursday are to be believed, then Werner’s time at the Red Bull Arena is all but over.
As per the likes of The Telegraph and Sky Sports News, the Leipzig hitman has agreed to join Premier League powerhouse Chelsea, with a deal said to be close.
Whilst landing Werner would no doubt prove a major coup for Frank Lampard and co, Chelsea closing on the German international’s signature has come as something of a surprise, due to the fact that the forward has been heavily linked with a move to another club.
The side in question are soon-to-be Premier League champions Liverpool, with the Reds’ links to Werner having persisted throughout the season.
The 29-capped international had also seemingly been courting Liverpool, having labelled Jurgen Klopp the best coach in the world, and Liverpool the best team in the world.
Now, though, as mentioned above, The Athletic have provided some insight into why the Merseyside powerhouse have seemingly been pipped to the post by Chelsea.
After consulting with club owners FSG, Jurgen Klopp is said to have called Werner to explain why his move to Anfield would not be happening.
It is added that Klopp insisted the reason Liverpool wouldn’t be pursuing the Leipzig standout was purely financial, rather than a negative reflection on the player himself.
So, with Liverpool looking set to miss out on Werner, their fans may now be expecting the club to move onto another major target.
However, if the aforementioned report from The Athletic is anything to go by, then that will not be the case, as it is understood that:
The message coming from the highest levels at Anfield has been that there will be no major signings in the coming transfer window.
