According to a recent report by the Mirror, Red Bull Leipzig are not willing to let Timo Werner leave amidst interest from Liverpool and Bayern Munich. The same report has also claimed that the Bundesliga outfit are confident about keeping hold of their prized asset and will not sell to a rival club during this January transfer period.
In a recent interview with Sky Germany, as reported by the Mirror, Leipzig boss Ralf Rangnick shed some light on the striker’s future and said, “If Bayern are serious, then it will be difficult for us. But they often play with one striker, so I see him staying with us for the next two or three years.”
Even though the Leipzig boss has ruled out Bayern Munich as they are direct rivals to his team in the Bundesliga, he did not mention Liverpool which could mean that their stance might not apply to a foreign club. However, Leipzig has not confirmed Liverpool’s interest on the player which begs the question of whether this speculation was just a story to fill the papers.
Either way, it doesn’t seem like the Reds are getting any closer towards sealing a move for the German international this month.
The Reds are currently flying high in the Premier League, but they are still mostly dependent on the contributions from their terrific front three of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah and their ability to find the back of the net on a consistent basis over the past couple of years. Hence, Jurgen Klopp could benefit from recruiting a striker in January so that he can increase his squad depth and add more competition for the likes of Firmino, Salah and Daniel Sturridge up top.
Werner has a lot of pace under his belt which helps him dribble with the ball out of tight situations and cause problems inside the opposition penalty box. The German talent has developed a habit of beating the offside trap on his way to making some well-timed runs into the opposition penalty area. However, his biggest strength would be his ability to score goals consistently for both his club and his country.
The former Stuttgart youth player has featured in 22 matches for Leipzig this term, scoring 13 goals while creating three assists across multiple competitions. There is no doubt that Leipzig’s stance during this window will be a big blow for Liverpool if they were interested in signing their prized striker this month. However, the Merseyside outfit still has a strong enough squad for the remainder of this campaign so it shouldn’t be a cause for major concern if they fail to make a signing in January.
