Deal imminent
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After his fruitless loan to Tottenham Hotspur, former German national team player Timo Werner is set to head to Major League Soccer. Transfermarkt can confirm an initial report by the Leipziger Volkszeitung that the 29-year-old forward is set to leave RB Leipzig and join sister club New York Red Bulls. With a market value of €7m, Werner is set to become the most valuable player at the New York Red Bulls.
Still under contract until the summer of 2026 in Leipzig, Werner spent the last 18 months on loan at Premier League club Tottenham. At Tottenham. Werner managed just 41 appearances, scoring three goals. Werner was also excluded from the Europa League squad and, therefore, had to watch on from the sidelines as his club won the title against Manchester United in the spring. Not surprisingly, Tottenham opted not to sign Werner to a permanent deal.
In New York, Werner, who played 57 games for Germany, would be reunited with his former teammate Emil Forsberg and former Bundesliga coach Sandro Schwarz. The squad also includes former Mainz defender Alexander Hack and Bayern Munich striker Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting. The latter is currently third in MLS goalscoring with 11 goals in 18 games and is expected to form a dangerous attacking line with Werner.
Restart in MLS – What can Timo Werner add to the New York Red Bulls?
Werner reached his peak in 2020 when he joined Chelsea for €53m from RB Leipzig. With Chelsea, Werner would win the Champions League one year later. But the 29-year-old never fully settled at the Blues and opted to return to Leipzig in a deal worth €20m in the summer of 2022. In retrospect, the Bundesliga return ended up being a massive mistake as Werner never regained his goalscoring form from his first stint at Leipzig and was shipped off to Tottenham.
Rather than a third stint at Leipzig, Werner has made the most of the Red Bull connection to move on to New York. The move to MLS is considered a restart after years in which Werner struggled to fulfill his potential. The Red Bulls, in the meantime, view Werner as a potential missing piece after losing the final to the LA Galaxy last year (2-1). Still a fast player, Werner is seen as a complementary piece to Choupo-Moting and also a player whose experience can help young stars like Julian Hall make the next step in their development.