Barcelona are reportedly fighting it out with Real Madrid to secure the signing of RB Leipzig forward Timo Werner next year.
The 21-year-old experienced a slow start to his career at Stuttgart, scoring just 14 goals in 104 appearances for the club. However, he really found his feet following a move to Leipzig in 2016, as he bagged 21 in 32 last season, while he’s already found the net six times in nine outings this year.
In turn, the top clubs around Europe are beginning to take notice, and The Daily Mail report that Barcelona and Real Madrid have both set their sights on the German international.
Speaking of his international career, he’s already scored six goals in eight internationals, including three at the Confederations Cup this past summer, and so he evidently has a big future ahead for both club and country.
Werner is under contract with Leipzig until 2020, and given his rising stock, it’s likely that they will demand a significant fee for his services.
As a result, either Barcelona or Real will have to splash out, with the latter arguably failing to replace Alvaro Morata after his summer move to Chelsea for £70m, as per the Mail.
Barcelona star Luis Suarez has endured a slow start to the campaign, and in turn that’s raised a question mark over whether or not a long-term replacement should be considered for the Uruguayan international as he’s unlikely to maintain his incredible scoring form moving forward.
A case can be made as to why both clubs need another striker, but it remains to be seen whether or not Werner can convince either to part with a big fee to acquire his services.