Timo Werner: Tottenham on brink of completing loan deal for RB Leipzig forward with option to buy

Timo Werner has returned to Germany with RB Leipzig after their winter training camp in Spain but is set to fly to London in the coming days to complete his loan switch to Tottenham.

Spurs have agreed a deal with RB Leipzig to sign the 27-year-old until the end of the season. Spurs will cover his full salary, while there is an option to buy the forward at the end of the season.

Sky in Germany report the fee to sign Werner permanently at the end of the season stands at £15.5m and his wages will cost Spurs £4.3m.

Sky Sports News reported earlier this week that the former Chelsea player has been offered to Manchester United in the January transfer window but he now looks set to return to London this month.

Ange Postecoglou’s side will be without club captain Heung-Min Son for at least a month due to his participation in the Asia Cup and there are fears Alejo Veliz has suffered a long-term knee injury.

Werner has featured just eight times for Leipzig in the Bundesliga this season, scoring two goals. His current contract runs until the summer of 2026.

Leipzig issued a statement on their official social media channels on Saturday confirming the Germany international had been left out of their squad for a friendly against Swiss Super League side St Gallen while he holds talks with another club.

Werner scored 93 goals and made 40 assists in 157 appearances in his first spell at Leipzig before signing for Chelsea for £45m in July 2020.

However, his stint at Stamford Bridge was a largely disappointing one as he netted only 10 times in 56 Premier League games before re-joining his former club in 2022.

Werner’s next steps, Postecoglou’s influence, and a Euros dream

Sky Germany’s Philipp Hinze:

“On Sunday Werner flew back with Leipzig [from their winter training camp in Spain]. So there was no flight from Spain to London, but that will be done in the next days. He’s in Leipzig, his girlfriend is there, he has his clothes there, so he had to go home and afterwards he will fly to London. A medical check is on the list and afterwards the signing.

“We heard that Werner was absolutely thrilled during the talk to Ange and Ange wanted him.

“Werner wants the move and so he wanted to move very quickly. There was a very fast agreement. Thursday and especially Friday evening with a very fast decision. And afterwards on Saturday evening, full agreement. So maybe three or two days with conversations, negotiations, so it was a very fast deal, no three or four weeks of talking.

“It was a possibility [he would leave Leipzig in January] if there was a team which can offer the full salary for Werner, and who can give Werner the game time he needs to be at the Euros under Julian Nagelsmann. That’s his big dream.

“We have to go back to the move from Chelsea to Leipzig. The main reason was to play in the World Cup, to be in the World Cup squad in Qatar, then [he had a] big injury and missed the World Cup in Qatar. And now the Euros, especially in Germany, he wants it badly. So he needs game time. He had 200 Bundesliga minutes in the first [part] of the season. That can’t be enough. And now [if he impresses on] the big Premier League stage [he can] be there for the Euros.”

Will Werner re-find form and confidence under Postecoglou?

Timo Werner has been low on confidence and out of form but Ange Postecoglou sees his potential.

We look at whether the German can be rejuvenated at Spurs.

Analysis: Spurned chances at Chelsea extinguished Werner’s potential

Sky Sports’ Adam Smith:

Timo Werner arrived in the Premier League three-and-a-half years ago with great expectations. His playing style was likened to Mohamed Salah and the forward immediately displayed his direct qualities but struggled to convert chances in front of goal.

The radar below compares Werner’s per-90 statistics during his time at Chelsea with his previous three league campaigns in Germany and reveals the only metric that notably changed was his strike rate.

In terms of tangible numbers, Werner scored 10 goals in two Premier League seasons at Chelsea – but should have scored nearly twice that figure, according to expected goals (xG).

The shot map below plots all of his 124 shots for Chelsea in the Premier League, with points coloured in progressive red shades indicating easier chances to convert – revealing a raft of spurned chances in front of goal.

He was deployed in numerous positions across the firing line in an attempt to surface his underlying talent, but he failed to deliver while competing against a host of attacking options vying for starting berths.

Tottenham will hope Werner’s second attempt at cracking Premier League football will be a successful one. He will certainly feel he has unfinished business in England.

Spurs and Genoa continue talks over Dragusin

Tottenham target Radu Dragusin played for Genoa on Friday night as talks continue between the two clubs.

The Romania international started and completed the full 90 minutes of Genoa’s 1-1 draw at Bologna in Serie A.

Spurs, meanwhile, have no concerns about Napoli’s interest in the 21-year-old.

Signing a centre-back remains a priority in the January transfer window for Ange Postecoglou’s side.

Follow the January transfer window

The winter transfer window is now open and will close at 11pm in England and midnight in Scotland on Thursday 1 February, 2024.

To ensure harmonisation with the major leagues in Europe, the closing dates were set following discussions with the EFL, DFL, Serie A, LaLiga, and LFP, who will all close their summer and winter windows on 1 September and 1 February respectively.

Keep up to date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports’ digital platforms, while you can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News, including daily transfer shows, and listen to our Transfer Talk podcast.