Timo Werner to Tottenham: RB Leipzig issue official update as shock move beckons

RB Leipzig have confirmed that Timo Werner is in talks over a move to another club as Tottenham appear to close in on a shock loan deal for the former Chelsea striker.

Surprise reports first emerged from Germany on Saturday morning claiming that Spurs were on the verge of bringing in the 27-year-old until the end of the season as they seek additional firepower to compensate for the loss of captain and attacking talisman Heung-min Son to Asian Cup duty with South Korea this month.

Talks between the two clubs were already said to be at an advanced stage, with claims that Werner was due to travel to London on Sunday in order to finalise his return to the Premier League following only a one-and-a-half year absence.

Now Leipzig appear to have all but confirmed negotiations after revealing why the Germany forward was not taking part in a mid-season friendly match against Swiss side St Gallen to round off their winter training camp in La Manga on Saturday afternoon.

"Timo Werner is not in the squad for today's friendly, as he is in talks with another club," Leipzig confirmed in an update released via their official social media channels.

After that 1-0 win for his side, Leipzig boss Marco Rose said: "It's right that Timo wants to go on loan. Timo would like to go to the European Championship. We wish him all the best and are keeping our fingers crossed for him."

Werner was last week among the strikers linked with a potential move to Manchester United as the latest short-term solution to their attacking issues, but it appears that Tottenham have now jumped to the head of the queue.

Werner previously spent two seasons at Chelsea after joining from Leipzig in a high-profile £53million transfer in the summer of 2020, but failed to carry over his prolific form from the Bundesliga as he scored 23 goals in 89 matches before rejoining his former club for £25.3m in August 2022.

This season, he has scored just twice in 14 appearances across all competitions after falling out of favour for fourth-place Leipzig under head coach Rose, netting the winner at Borussia Monchengladbach back in September and also notching in the 6-0 drubbing of Cologne in October.

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He scored 16 times in 40 games in his maiden season back in Germany last term alongside Chelsea's Christopher Nkunku.

Werner would help bolster a Spurs attack that could be without skipper Son for more than a month depending on South Korea's progress at the delayed Asian Cup in Qatar, competing with the likes of Richarlison, Brennan Johnson and Dejan Kulusevski for a starting role under Ange Postecoglou.

Spurs' attacking options have been further weakened of late by the loss of young striker Alejo Veliz for the next couple of months with a knee injury suffered in the win over Bournemouth on New Year's Eve, while the likes of Bryan Gil have yet to impress for the club.