Chelsea Football Club has reached an agreement with RB Leipzig to sign Timo Werner.
The 24-year-old has agreed personal terms with the Blues, and will remain at the German club for the rest of the Bundesliga season. He will link up with his new team-mates in July, subject to passing a medical examination.
One of the most feared young strikers in Europe, Werner is renowned for his pace, movement, link-up play and finishing ability. At Leipzig he has most often been deployed in a front two, but he can also play out wide in a front three or as the central striker.
He is currently enjoying the most profitable season of his career yet, having already scored 32 goals and registered 13 assists in 43 appearances in all competitions. After finding the net again against Fortuna Dusseldorf last night, he has two games remaining this season to improve on those numbers.
Werner said: ‘I am delighted to be signing for Chelsea, it is a very proud moment for me to be joining this great club. I of course want to thank RB Leipzig, the club and the fans, for four fantastic years. You will forever be in my heart. I look forward to next season with my new team-mates, my new manager and of course the Chelsea fans. Together we have a very successful future ahead of us.’
Marina Granovskaia added: ‘We are very excited that Timo Werner has chosen to join Chelsea. He is a player who was coveted all over Europe and it is no surprise, he has that rare mix of being young and exciting and yet established and proven. We can’t wait to have Timo on board, but until then we wish him and RB Leipzig all the best for the rest of this season.’
How old is Timo Werner and what is his style of play?
Werner, who turned 24 in March, has been an established German international since 2017, when his three goals and two assists earned him the Golden Boot at that year’s Confederations Cup, won by Joachim Low’s side. He has been a Bundesliga regular for almost seven years now, and in November became the youngest man to play 200 times in the competition, having broken similar records for 50, 100 and 150 appearances.
Werner’s game is built on searing pace and clever moment in the final third. He likes to drift across the frontline creating space for himself and others, and his impressive assist stats – 13 this season, 10 in each of the two prior – prove there is plenty more to his game than just scoring.
However, it is goals by which a striker is judged, and his tallies since moving to Leipzig in 2016 have been impressive: he netted 21 times in his first two seasons, 19 last time out, and this campaign has reached new heights, with 32 goals to his name. It is not just the speed but the timing of his runs in behind that give opposition defences nightmares, and he is an equally capable finisher with either foot.
All the while, Werner has contributed to making Leipzig one of the most attractive teams to watch in Europe, as well as a genuine Bundesliga and Champions League contender. Prior to lockdown, they reached the last eight of the latter competition with a 4-0 aggregate win over Tottenham. Werner scored the only goal in the first leg in north London from the penalty spot.
Domestically they have only lost three league games, the fewest in the Bundesliga, and seriously challenged eventual champions Bayern Munich for much of the season.