Chelsea have confirmed that forward Timo Werner has completed a permanent transfer to return RB Leipzig. The Germany international had earlier announced his depature and said goodbye to teammates and supporters alike.
football.london understands the deal is worth around £25million, including bonuses, many of which are viewed as achievable. Werner has signed a contract until 2026 with the side he has already played 156 times for while scoring 90 goals and assisting 40 more. The Blues star will don the number 11 shirt upon his return.
Werner spent two years at Stamford Bridge, having joined in the summer of 2020 for a £49.5 million fee and has helped the club to the Champions League, Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup trophies. However, the 26-year-old, despite enjoying a healthy relationship with fans, has been unable to replicate the goalscoring prowess he showed in the Bundesliga.
READ MORE: Timo Werner breaks silence to confirm Chelsea departure amid £25m transfer to RB Leipzig
The striker indicated he would be open to a transfer earlier this summer when he suggested he would be happy anywhere. Werner said: "First of all, the most important thing is that I am happy. I am happy when I play and score goals. That's the fact. I could be happy everywhere.
"It is clear I want to play more, and I should play more to first be in good shape for the World Cup and, also, to have a chance to play at the World Cup. I think it doesn't change anything whether it is a winter World Cup or in the summer. I think if I play half of the season of the whole season, I should play."
Nevertheless, Werner had plenty of kind words for his time at Chelsea, suggesting his time at the club and in the Premier League helped him in his development. Upon being unveiled as an RB Leipzig player, Werner said: "I'm very happy to be playing for RB Leipzig again from now on. It was a great time from 2016 to 2020 in which we caused a sensation as a league newcomer. It was a worthy farewell for me back then, going as a record goalscorer. But that's also a bit of the past, and now I'm looking ahead because RB Leipzig has developed over the past two years, just like I have.
"I had two great years at Chelsea for which I am very grateful and which ended with the Champions League title. The experience of playing in another country and another league helped me a lot on my way. Now I'm looking forward to the new season with RB Leipzig and, above all, to the Leipzig fans, who are very important to me. We have big plans together, and of course, I want to be the first Leipzig bull to break the 100-goal mark."
Lorian Scholz, RB Leipzig's commerical director sport believes the addition of Werner is a special transfer.
He sadi: "Timo Werner’s signing is a special transfer for us. We had a lot of great years together in Leipzig that saw Timo become the club’s record goalscorer and a Germany international. His return means a lot to the supporters because Timo was a real fan favourite and figure of identification for a lot of people.
"The transfer made a lot of sense to us, both because of Timo’s quality and the financial aspects of the deal. Now we want to build on the success that we started together and achieve our goals with Timo’s help. Not only does that mean qualification to the Champions League, but we also want to get as far as possible in the cup competitions."
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