‘He is our player and has not signed for anyone else’: Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann insists Timo Werner is still in his Champions League plans despite rumours he is set to miss the campaign as he nears Chelsea switch
- Timo Werner is reportedly set to snub Leipzig’s Champions League bid in August
- The German side have reached the quarters but reports say he will not take part
- But manager Julian Nagelsmann insists he is still in his plans for the campaign
Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann has poured cold water on claims his striker Timo Werner is set to snub the club’s Champions League campaign in August to seal his move to Chelsea.
The German hitman has agreed a deal with the Blues and is expected to complete the move this week after the Premier League outfit paid his £53million release clause, and Bild reported that he would abandon the Bundesliga side’s European fixtures in order to head to Stamford Bridge.
But Nagelsmann was firm in his belief that Werner is still a Leipzig player and that he is planning to have him in his squad for the delayed quarter finals, which are set to take place in August in a World Cup style tournament.
Timo Werner will reportedly miss Leipzig’s Champions League campaign to join Chelsea
But boss Julian Nagelsmann insists he exepcts Werner to be in his squad for the tournament
‘He is currently, as usual, in my plans to play the Champions League,’ he said. ‘He is our player and has not signed for anyone else.
‘His importance to RB Leipzig is extraordinary. He has an incredibly good goalscoring rate, which you always hope for from a striker.’
‘Both parties will sit down and see what happens next,’ he added. ‘There are no regulations at the moment.’
The forward played a huge role in their European run as they reached the quarter-finals
Leipzig’s Champions League journey has seen them win their group against Zenit St Petersburg, Benfica and Lyon and thumped Tottenham 4-0 on aggregate in the round of 16.
Werner has scored four goals during that run, with 32 strikes in all competitions that left him highly sought-after by Europe’s elite. Now Chelsea look to have won the race for his signature and it is thought Werner is keen to move to west London as quickly as possible to integrate into Frank Lampard’s squad.
He has started all six games for Leipzig since Bundesliga’s restart, scoring four times – with a hat-trick coming against Mainz.