Transfer News: Manchester United favourites to sign Chelsea striker Timo Werner ahead of Barcelona
According to Catalan news outlet El Nacional (h/t ESPN), Manchester United are leading the race for Chelsea superstar Timo Werner ahead of Barcelona. He was an unused substitute today as the Blues lost 3-2 to West Ham United in the Premier League.
Werner joined the Stamford Bridge outfit last year from RB Leipzig for a fee of £45million. Following the move, he has had a mixed time at Stamford Bridge as he continued to struggle in front of goal despite doing well in other areas on the pitch. He has made 64 appearances so far and has scored 15 goals while assisting 16 times.
Barca, who are long term admirers of the German, had plans to bring him to Camp Nou on a loan deal in January with an option to buy him for around €40 million. However, the appointment of Ralf Rangnick has pushed United in front of the queue due to his past affiliations with Leipzig.
Rangnick hopes to get the services of the 25-year-old, but Roman Abramovich has no plans to sell him to a direct rival. He would rather sell him to the La Liga club than to potentially strengthen his competitors. The striker prefers a move to Manchester because of his relationship with the German manager at his previous club, even if it means fewer minutes due to high competition.
Unlikely to happen?
While the German international had a disappointing game against the Red Devils in the league, he is far from being an outcast as he has been used regularly under Thomas Tuchel. Bar the game against us, his overall contributions still help the team even if he continues his slump in front of goal.
If we do manage to sign him, however unlikely that may be, it would be a useful signing. Cristiano Ronaldo is 36 while Edinson Cavani isn’t getting any younger himself. Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood have flourished out wide while Anthony Martial failed to impress under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Werner would be a fresh addition with experience of playing at the top level in Germany and at Stamford Bridge. Moreover, his ability to play down the left-hand side of the attack would also help us if we ever want to play him down that side.
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Having joined the West London club on a five-year deal, he still has a few years left on his contract, and they could reject any attempts for signing the Blues forward. Based on this, even if our interest is strong, it remains to be seen if the Blues would want to sell him to us- a team that would go head-to-head with them for titles on all fronts in the future.
