Werner pens contract with Chelsea
Berlin, Jun 18 (efe-epa).- Germany forward Timo Werner has officially signed for English Premier League club Chelsea after the London club met his 53-million-euro ($59.5m) buyout clause set by RB Leipzig, where he had a contract until 2023.
I am delighted to be signing for Chelsea, it is a very proud moment for me to be joining this great club,” Werner, 24, said in a statement.
“I of course want to thank RB Leipzig, the club and the fans, for four fantastic years. You will forever be in my heart. I look forward to next season with my new team-mates, my new manager and of course the Chelsea fans.
“Together we have a very successful future ahead of us.”
He is set to play at the north London club until 2025 with a reported salary of 9 million pounds ($11.2m) a year.
In his four seasons with Leipzig, Werner bagged 93 goals in 157 games, securing himself a spot with the national team in the process.
Werner had been heavily linked with a move to Liverpool earlier this year, but Chelsea coach Frank Lampard, who seeks to remodel his team with promising young players, reportedly convinced the German that he would play a more important role with the Blues and in Merseyside.
Lampard, who played with Chelsea most of his professional career, traveled to Leipzig to chat with Werner.
At Chelsea, the German player will reconnect with former Stuttgart teammate and German international Antonio Rüdiger.
He will not be available for the rescheduled Champions League, which is set to be played in Lisbon in August, should Chelsea make it past Bayern Munich in the second-leg round-of-16 match. Chelsea crumpled 0-3 to Bayern at home in the first leg.
Werner will move to the London club in July, once the Bundesliga has drawn to a close.EFE-EPA
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