Chelsea striker Timo Werner is allegedly one of Barcelona’s potential targets in the January transfer window as the Catalans look to boost their attacking options.
It has been reported by the Spanish publication Marca that Barcelona’s pursuit of strengthening their offensive unit during the January transfer window has led them to Premier League heavyweights Chelsea, with Timo Werner surfacing as a potential target.
Werner joined Chelsea from German club, RB Leipzig, during the summer transfer window of last year, but he struggled to adjust to life in the Premier League in his debut season. The attacker was guilty of wasting numerous golden opportunities during the season while making significant contributions to the Blues’ victory in the UEFA Champions League.
A club-record transfer price was paid by Chelsea to buy Romelu Lukaku this past summer, setting a new club record. And the Belgian was put as the first-choice No. 9 ahead of Werner, reducing the amount of game time available to the German international. He has appeared 10 times in all competitions, starting just four times in the league, and has contributed two goals and an assist in his appearances thus far.
Despite the 25-year-difficulties old’s at Stamford Bridge, his reputation remains unblemished, as shown by the interest exhibited in him by various teams around Europe. Barcelona has now joined the race to recruit the Chelsea striker, joining the likes of Real Madrid and Juventus.
Barcelona in pursuit of a number 9
Due to injuries, Barcelona is in a bind when it comes to their alternatives for the No. 9 position. Martin Braithwaite is recuperating from a catastrophic injury, and Sergio Aguero will be out for the foreseeable future owing to a heart problem, both of which have occurred recently. Luuk de Jong is not a favourite of new manager Xavi Hernandez, while Ansu Fati is suffering from fitness issues.
This makes it very necessary for Barcelona to sign a new centre-forward in the next winter transfer window. It has recently been reported that Barcelona is interested in signing Arsenal forward Alexandre Lacazette, as well as Manchester United veteran striker Edinson Cavani and Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling.
Werner has also emerged as a potential replacement for the Blaugrana. According to the report, due to the Catalans’ precarious financial state, they would only consider loan agreements or permanent transfers in which the transfer cost will be kept to a bare minimum. As a result, it remains to be seen if Barcelona will be willing to make a formal contract with Chelsea about the prospect of a transfer in the coming months.
Future of Timo Werner
Werner has previously been linked with Bayern Munich and Newcastle United in recent months for similar reasons, however, it still seems doubtful that we’ll be able to cut our losses on him just yet. In fact, before his current injury, he had begun to become more active once again, with Thomas Tuchel attempting to make the notion of a Lukaku-Werner combo work in the real world as well as it did on paper, before suffering an injury.
Chelsea’s offence is far from established at the moment, and Tuchel is continuing to experiment with different tactics to find a solution. Minutes are up for grabs for whoever takes the initiative. Perhaps Werner will be able to track down his shooting boots once again — but even if he does not, it is comforting to know that he still has some possible suitors out there.
