Transfer News: Manchester United leading the race to sign Chelsea forward Timo Werner
According to El Nacional (h/t ESPN), Manchester United are now the frontrunner to land Chelsea and Germany star Timo Werner.
The striker has not been able to live up to the expectations at Chelsea. This season his goalscoring abilities have taken a hit, and he has managed to find the back of the net just once in the Premier League. Such a drop off in form has indeed attracted speculations about his long term future at Stamford Bridge.
Barcelona tried signing the 25-year-old player when he still was playing for RB Leipzig. They recently rekindled their interest and want to lure the forward in a loan deal with an option to buy. However, Ralf Rangnick’s arrival at Manchester United has thrown a hammer into the works.
Rangnick worked with Werner at Leipzig and has a first-hand idea of the striker’s strengths and potential. The German manager would be keen on reuniting with his star forward at Old Trafford. It is believed that the Red Devils currently have the upper hand over the Catalans in the race to sign the player.
Chelsea have been quite successful this season despite their striker failing to find top form. Moreover, injuries have shown their forward lineup to be vulnerable. Setbacks to Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner pushed the former Dortmund manager to play Kai Havertz in a central role.
Such a situation isn’t ideal for a team that has ambitions to land the title this season. A greater depth is sorely needed in the squad to tackle the hectic schedule ahead of us. The blues board can use the transfer funds generated from Werner’s sale to bring many viable alternatives.
More Chelsea News
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- Chelsea are keen to reward Edouard Mendy with a lucrative new contract
- Transfer News: Chelsea set ultimatum over selling Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech to Barcelona in January
While Tuchel has failed to get the scoreboard ticking at Chelsea, he has shown enough glimpses of genius to suggest his career in Blue can yet be salvaged. However, it will take some effort and patience.
Whether he has a future at the Bridge or not, Chelsea should ensure that the German international is not sold to a direct rival.