Timo Werner: Pundit discusses potential transfer options
Manchester United and Chelsea have each dropped a clue that Timo Werner is Liverpool-bound, according to transfer expert Ian McGarry. Werner is a top target for Liverpool ahead of the next transfer window, with the German having several conversations with Reds boss Jurgen Klopp in recent months. However, both United and Chelsea have also shown interest in the 24-year-old RB Leipzig striker.
But McGarry believes new deals for Odion Ighalo and Olivier Giroud in recent days suggest Werner will not be moving to either Manchester or west London.
Ighalo has had his loan move at United from Shanghai Shenhua extended until next January.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have activated the one-year extension in Giroud's contract to keep him at the club for another season.
McGarry says neither club would have made that move if they thought they had a chance of signing Werner, as they already have first-choice strikers in the shape of Anthony Martial and Tammy Abraham.
Liverpool transfer news: Man Utd and Chelsea now look unlikely to sign Timo Werner (Image: GETTY)
And therefore he reckons it is an indication that both clubs know Werner is on his way to Liverpool.
McGarry said on the Transfer Window podcast: "I think it's no coincidence that Chelsea and Manchester United, the two clubs who have been cited and circulated as possible suitors, the ones Leipzig hope to use as a leverage tool to get Liverpool to basically agree the €60million buyout clause, have in the last three days re-signed their two strikers, or you could say second-choice strikers, Olivier Giroud agreeing a new deal at Chelsea and obviously Odion Ighalo has signed until January.
"Now, that tells you a lot given that both clubs have first-choice strikers - in Chelsea's case Tammy Abraham and in Manchester United's Anthony Martial.
"These are the things that you look to in transfer stories, transfer information, with regards to the likelihood of any given deal going through, whether it's one club or another.
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"The first thing that I always ask myself when a player is quoted for a club is 'okay, so where does he fit in?'.
"Now there's no doubt in my mind that Werner would fit into any club in England but when you spend a lot of money renewing contracts of players who are over 30 to be second-choice strikers, and you've already got a first-choice striker, you're effectively saying 'we're out of this, we're not in the market for that player because we know he's going somewhere else'."
McGarry claims Werner has agreed personal terms with Liverpool and now it is down to the clubs agreeing a fee.
"Werner has agreed personal terms with Liverpool,” McGarry said.
Liverpool transfer news: Timo Werner has scored 25 Bundesliga goals so far this season (Image: GETTY)
"It's a five-year contract that will pay the player around £140,000-a-week.
“We also understand that [Jurgen] Klopp has spoken to the player via Facetime or Zoom calls on at least three occasions in the last two-and-a-half months.
“To reassure him that he is very much still wanted by the club and he must sit tight and wait for them to agree the fee with his club.”