The Independent are reporting that Liverpool are leading several other Premier League clubs in the battle to sign RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner.
The German has namechecked Tottenham in the past as a possible destination, and with the Evening Standard reporting that Llorente will be leaving the club in the summer, I am pretty sure we`ll be looking out for another forward. Speaking about moving clubs to Sport Bild back in January, the 22 year old said:
‘Of course I want to play at a big club. But, we have not yet come to terms with the development at Leipzig. Perhaps RB will be a big club too – I’m quite sure.
‘In Spain there are a maximum of three clubs with Barca, Real and Atletico Madrid. In England there are a few more: Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City.’
For Leipzig this season, the German international has scored 17 goals in 35 games, and he would certainly give us extra firepower if we were to make a bid for the player.
It is not known whether we are among the Premier League clubs that the Independent say are interested in the striker, but it would make sense if we were.
We have tried the approach of signing a backup to Harry who has some similar attributes, but our no.10 is not someone you can replace like-for-like. He is one of a kind. Instead, there is a case to be made for signing a player who can offer a slightly different threat.
Werner is fast and has a poacher`s instinct in front of goal, and he would certainly provide something else for opposition defences to worry about.
Whether he would be happy being a backup is another question though. At Liverpool, he would also have to play second fiddle to Roberto Firmino so the circumstances wouldn`t be that different.
We`ll just have to wait and see in the summer what Poch`s approach will be to signing a new striker.