A report claims Erik ten Hag was hoping to sign Timo Werner for Manchester United, only to lose out to RB Leipzig due to an integral factor.
Ten Hag needs a new striker amid the uncertainty surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo’s future. Agent Jorge Mendes is still pushing for the Portuguese to leave, but Ronaldo is being held back by a lack of potential suitors.
Manchester United chief John Murtough held talks with Benjamin Sesko’s entourage over a possible transfer to Old Trafford. However, this ultimately came to nothing as Sesko will swap Red Bull Salzburg for RB Leipzig in summer 2023.
The Red Devils also began preliminary discussions over a shock move for Marko Arnautovic, only for Bologna to increase his price tag and put United off.
According to Bild journalist Christian Falk, United turned to Chelsea’s Werner in their hour of need. They even entered negotiations with the attacker and his agent.
The pursuit came from Ten Hag, as the coach ‘could imagine’ working with Werner in Manchester. However, it didn’t go through as the Germany international has gone back to the Bundesliga with Leipzig.
The Daily Express provide their take on the transfer links. They state Werner is looking to get back to his best so he can shine for Germany at the Qatar World Cup. Playing regularly is a vital part of this.
United’s failure to offer him a guaranteed first-team spot is one of the main reasons why he didn’t sign for them.
Timo Werner aims to reignite career at Leipzig
Werner originally joined the German outfit in July 2016 and went on to register 90 goals in 156 matches. This made him the club’s record goalscorer following their rebranding in 2009.
Werner caused Bundesliga defenders all sorts of problems during his first spell at Leipzig, mainly thanks to his blistering pace, quick feet and clever finishing.
His electric form earned him a £47.5million switch to Chelsea two years ago. He couldn’t quit replicate his previous form while at the Blues, scoring 23 times in 89 outings.
While this doesn’t sound too bad, Werner struggled to impress in the Premier League. He only scored 10 goals in 56 matches in the competition.
The 26-year-old will now aim to brush off the disappointment of his Chelsea spell and continue where he left off at the Red Bull Arena.
Capturing Werner would not have gone down well with the United faithful. He struggled to excite the Chelsea fans and this trend would have continued in Manchester.
United need proven stars who will take them to the next level, if they are to get back to the summit of the Prem. Landing players such as Werner is certainly not the way forward.
Red Devils supporters have been left angered by the rather ridiculous pursuit of Arnautovic. While Werner is a bigger name with higher potential, such a transfer still wouldn’t have worked. And it only would have worsened the relationship between United fans and the club’s hierarchy.
Meanwhile, Adrien Rabiot to United is under threat amid the midfielder’s new contract demands.
