Entrenched in talks that have been on-and-off since February, the stalemate between German striker Timo Werner and the New York Red Bulls continues, but negotiations remain ongoing, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed with amNewYork on Wednesday.
Werner and his representatives have been in this round of talks with New York to potentially make the jump to Major League Soccer since late June, but have been unable to reach an agreement on a contract. While the team remains hopeful that a deal could be done, a source did admit that optimism is understandably waning.
Another source previously disclosed to amNewYork earlier this month that the Red Bulls’ offer was for 2.5 years, worth roughly $11.5 million. It is significantly less than the $11.7 million he is due in the final year of his contract with Red Bull Leipzig, but the German Bundesliga side has already made it clear that he will collect those paychecks while barred from playing.
Tom Bogert of GiveMeSport reported Tuesday that the Red Bulls’ offer remains the “best on the table,” which further suggests how thin Werner’s market truly is.
The 29-year-old was once one of the world’s most prolific young strikers during his first stint with Leipzig, in which he scored 34 goals in all competitions during the 2019-20 season and broke into Germany’s national side, where he scored 24 goals in 57 matches.
But a move to Chelsea saw the goals begin to dry up despite winning a Champions League title, scoring 23 goals across two seasons with the Premier League club before getting sold back to Leipzig. A return to Germany did not result in a boon in production, though, and he was loaned to another English side, Tottenham in 2023-24. The move was a disaster, as he scored just three times during the life of the loan, which expired last month.
Still, Werner would become one of the most imposing strikers in MLS should a deal be struck. He would replace the production lost with injured star Lewis Morgan still shelved and reunite with former Leipzig teammate Emil Forsberg. A formidable duo with former Bayern Munich star Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting would also be created up front.
