Newcastle United are reportedly leading the race to land Chelsea misfit Timo Werner, who is also a target for RB Leipzig.
According to a report from iNews, Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United are in pole position to sign Timo Werner if Chelsea allow the German striker to leave on loan this summer.
The Magpies are looking for attacking additions after bolstering their backline with the permanent arrivals of Matt Targett, Nick Pope, and Sven Botman earlier in the window. Newcastle have mostly been targeting wingers and strikers but have been quoted bloated price tags, which have become major roadblocks in their pursuits of Moussa Diaby, Jack Harrison, and Anthony Gordon.
However, Newcastle’s hierarchy are looking to find value for money in the market, and they have turned their attention to Timo Werner as they intensify their pursuit of a new attacking player. As such, the Toon are already in talks with Chelsea to sign Werner, who has three years left on his deal.
Werner has failed to fulfil his potential since joining Chelsea from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2020, netting only ten Premier League goals across his two seasons in England. The 26-year-old scored only four top-flight goals in 21 appearances last term, but he fared much better on the continental stage, recording four goals and two assists in his five UEFA Champions League outings.
With Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel seemingly losing patience with him, the expectation was that he would be leaving the club before the start of the new season. However, Chelsea are struggling to get fresh faces through the door and will wait for potential new arrivals before sanctioning a departure for the German international.
Despite the underperformance in the last couple of campaigns, a host of European top guns, including Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Juventus, are interested in signing the Chelsea misfit this summer. Werner’s former club RB Leipzig have also shown interest in bringing him back to the Bundesliga.
However, as per iNews, Newcastle United are at the front of the queue despite reports from the German outlet Bild suggesting that Werner wants to return to RB Leipzig and is willing to take a pay-cut on his £270,000-a-week wages to seal a move back to his homeland.
But the German is said to be determined to succeed in the Premier League and prove his naysayers wrong. That could be where a move to Newcastle comes into the equation. The Magpies have already touched base about a potential loan deal, and the report states they are currently a likelier landing spot than Leipzig, who are not willing to pay the required loan fee.
In contrast, Newcastle are ready to cover a substantial part of Werner’s wages while paying the loan fee to secure the German speedster’s services. The critical question now is whether the Chelsea misfit would be willing to play for a Newcastle side that is not in any European competition and is unlikely to compete for major trophies next season.
