Former Chelsea midfielder Craig Burley has claimed that Newcastle United target Timo Werner wants to ‘get out’ of Stamford Bridge this summer.
Werner has failed to fulfil his potential since joining Chelsea from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2020 – scoring only 10 Premier League goals across his two seasons in England.
The 26-year-old had found the net 95 times in 159 outings for RB Leipzig, including 34 goals in 45 appearances during his final campaign at the Red Bull Arena.
But while Werner could well be called upon by Thomas Tuchel in the wake of Romelu Lukaku’s loan move to Inter Milan, Burley believes it’s concerning how the Germany international is ‘doubting’ himself.
“I think it’s a player who is doubting what he can do at this club,” Burley said on ESPN. “He’s got a shortage of confidence. He had his mate with him, who was the same, in Lukaku.
“It hasn’t worked for him, thus far. When Tuchel talks about him trying to get that consistency, it’s exactly what frustrates Chelsea fans.
“He is the type of striker, at the moment, to get five or six clear-cut chances to get one goal. It just seems to be that he is thinking in his own head, looking at it from the outside and reading his words, that he is looking to get out of there.
“When he is talking about playing time and World Cups. I think he wants an early exit – that form from RB Leipzig and the German national team isn’t falling onto this club.”
His agency Sports 360 are refusing to comment on reports in Germany linking him with a move to St James’ Park. His wages of £272,000 do not fit with Newcastle’s wage structure but nevertheless, his representatives are testing the water by offering him around a host of clubs in Europe.
A price tag of £33million has been slapped on the Chelsea striker.
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