RB Leipzig sporting director Markus Krösche has insisted that they are not interested in parting ways with striker Timo Werner, who has been linked with Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea.
The 23-year-old has been in outstanding form for Leipzig in recent seasons, attracting interest from some of Europe's biggest sides as a result.
However, he did sign a new four-year contract in August, and Krösche told Bild that Leipzig have no interest in selling Werner so soon after he agreed a bumper new deal at the club.
"Timo just extended his contract with us recently, and we're not thinking about letting him go at all," Krösche said.
Under contract until 2023, Bild claim that Werner has a release clause which could rise to €60m depending on whether he reaches some pre-agreed targets. However, that clause will also drop with each passing year.
This release clause has been the subject of much debate in Germany. Shortly after Werner penned his new deal, Kicker claimed that it stands at somewhere closer to €30m, but Bild have since stated that it is nearly twice that.
Even if the clause is €60m, it's unlikely Liverpool, United or Chelsea would be put off by it. Werner managed an impressive 19 goals and ten assists last season, but he is set to eclipse both those tallies as he currently sits on 13 goals and six assists from just 15 appearances. For one of the most in-form young forwards around, a fee of €60m seems relatively modest.
United are desperate for a striker to come in and solve their goalscoring woes, and they could use the money raised by Romelu Lukaku's departure to finance a move for Werner.
As for Liverpool, they still have the devastating trio of Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah, but are keen to add some much-needed depth to their squad to ensure they can compete for as much silverware as possible.
Chelsea, meanwhile, are prohibited from signing players at the moment, but are hopeful that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will lift their transfer ban upon appeal, with a £150m transfer kitty allegedly waiting in the wings for head coach Frank Lampard.
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Source :
90min
