A source has confirmed with amNewYork that German striker Timo Werner and the New York Red Bulls are in talks about a transfer that would bring the RB Leipzig and ex-Chelsea man to Major League Soccer.
Fabrizio Romano was the first to report that talks are “ongoing about conditions of the deal, salary, and more.”
Werner and New York initially engaged in talks back in February, but nothing materialized for the forward, who was on loan from Leipzig’s Bundesliga side to Tottenham’s English Premier League side.
The 29-year-old’s loan with the London-based club expired, though, and a return to Leipzig, with whom he is under contract until next summer, is not feasible given his struggles.
Over the life of his 18-month loan at Tottenham, he made just 41 appearances and scored three times. He was so ineffective that he was left off the club’s Europa League roster despite it being ransacked by injuries. He was forced to watch from the sidelines as Tottenham defeated Manchester United in the Final.
The player and production are almost unrecognizable from the Werner that scored 34 goals during his first stint with Leipzig in 2019-20 and ultimately punched his ticket onto the German national team. He has 57 career caps with Germany.
A move to Chelsea the following year proved unsuccessful, even though he was a part of the UEFA Champions League-winning side in 2021. He lasted just two seasons in West London before being sold back to Leipzig.
After a 16-goal season in 2022-23, he was loaned to Tottenham midway through the 2023-24 campaign.
A move to New York could help stabilize Werner’s career, or at least reignite the spark of confidence that he can still be an effective and threatening striker, even if it is in a less-renowned league like MLS.
He would be able to reunite with his former Leipzig teammate, Emil Forsberg, while creating an imposing duo up top with former Bayern Munich striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting. Another Bundesliga link, head coach Sandro Schwarz, would also be pulling the strings.
