Barcelona are reportedly plotting a loan swoop for Chelsea forward Timo Werner, as new head coach Xavi Hernandez looks to bolster his forward line in January.
Xavi Hernandez has returned to Camp Nou as a replacement for Ronald Koeman, who was sacked last month. The Catalan club are ninth in La Liga, six points off the top four places with their Champions League group-stage campaign also hanging by a thread.
According to Marca, Chelsea’s Timo Werner is on the transfer shortlist of Barcelona, who due to their financial difficulties are currently on the lookout for loans to make that happen in the winter transfer window.
The report adds Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling and Manchester United striker Edinson Cavani are also being tracked by the La Liga heavyweights.
Timo Werner, 25, has failed to adapt to life at Chelsea after his big-money move from RB Leipzig last summer. To date, he has netted just 14 goals in 62 appearances across all competitions for the west London club.
The Germany international, who is currently out injured, isn’t the first-choice striker at the club under Thomas Tuchel anymore following the high-profile summer arrival of Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan.
Timo Werner to Barcelona – A good option for Xavi?
At the moment, Barcelona are facing a crisis in their attacking department. Sergio Aguero will be out for up to three months with a heart issue, while Martin Braithwaite recovers from injury. Luuk de Jong’s loan move from Sevilla is set to be cut short in January as he doesn’t fall in Xavi’s plans moving forward.
The problems have worsened with an injury to Ansu Fati recently, while Ousmane Dembele is yet to feature for the Catalan club this season after suffering a fresh injury setback. This leaves Memphis Depay with the only reliable source of goals for Xavi at this moment in time, thereby, making the addition of a top-quality forward an absolute necessity in January.
To that end, Timo Werner would be a smart fit at Barcelona. Werner has played just 388 minutes in the league this campaign, netting just one goal in the process. Now a shadow of his former self since he arrived at Stamford Bridge, the German could enjoy a new lease of life under Xavi at Barcelona.
Speedy, agile, creative and technically brilliant, Werner is a potent goal-scorer who Barcelona are in desperate need to complement Depay upfront. The 25-year-old, who is better coming off the left, would add a different dimension to Barcelona’s attack with his pace and ability to run down the channels. The ex-RB Leipzig star’s selflessness, work rate and link-up play could produce wonders at Camp Nou if utilised properly by Xavi.
Thus, Barcelona must go all out to get Werner’s signature in January, as the German forward could be the ideal player to add the cutting edge to Xavi’s forward line.
