Chelsea forward Timo Werner’s time in the Premier League could be coming to an end, with Atletico Madrid reportedly interested in signing the misfiring German next summer.
According to TMW, the Spanish champions are leading the race to sign Werner, who is also on the radar of German giants Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.
Werner has failed to adapt to the rigours of Premier League football since his arrival from RB Leipzig for a whopping £47.5 million in 2020.
The German has netted just 14 times in 60 appearances for Chelsea in all competitions and manager Thomas Tuchel’s patience appears to have finally run thin. The German coach is reportedly looking for other attacking options to partner with Romelu Lukaku up front next season.
Werner’s current deal runs until the summer of 2025.
Should Chelsea sell Timo Werner after his struggles in front of goal?
After netting 95 goals in 159 appearances for RB Leipzig, Werner was expected to take the Premier League by storm following his move to Chelsea. However, that hasn’t been the case and the 25-year-old has come in for intense criticism for his tendency to spurn gilt-edged opportunities.
With four years left on Werner’s current deal, Chelsea would be wise to recoup as much of the money they spent on him as possible and pursue other targets.
A change in environment could help Werner rediscover the form that made him one of Europe’s hottest properties just a few seasons ago. In that context, a move to Atletico Madrid makes perfect sense.
Atletico have been heavily reliant on Luis Suarez for their goals; the Uruguayan netted 21 times in their title-winning campaign last season. The likes of Marcos Llorente, Joao Felix and Angel Correa have chipped in, but not consistently enough. Antoine Griezmann, too, hasn’t set the stage on fire since his return to the club on loan from Barcelona.
Considering the fact that Suarez is 34, Atletico need younger players to lead the line for the foreseeable future. If Werner can recapture the form he showed in the Bundesliga for Atletico, he would be a brilliant long-term acquisition.
Meanwhile, for Chelsea, selling Werner would help raise the funds they need for some of their major targets like Erling Haaland.
