Report: Leipzig to re-sign Werner from Chelsea for around €35M

Timo Werner is returning to RB Leipzig after just two seasons with Chelsea.

The Bundesliga outfit reached an agreement Sunday to re-sign Werner on a permanent basis, The Guardian's Fabrizio Romano reports.

The deal is worth around €35 million, according to Sky Sport Deutschland's Florian Plettenberg.

Werner, 26, played for Leipzig for four seasons before joining Chelsea in July 2020 for a reported €53 million. He scored 23 goals in 89 appearances for the Blues but struggled to adapt to life as their primary center-forward.

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel reduced the player's minutes last season, handing him just 15 Premier League starts, and excluded him from the team's season-opening win at Everton on Saturday.

Tuchel tried his best to motivate Werner after replacing Frank Lampard on the bench in January 2021. The 48-year-old continued to select Werner when he went 14 games without a goal, but over time, the German forward lost playing time to Romelu Lukaku and Kai Havertz.

Tuchel's relationship with Werner appeared to break down when the forward grumbled about a lack of minutes at Stamford Bridge.

"I'm surprised," the manager said in July. "I would be very happy as a young guy having a contract at Chelsea Football Club. I would be one of the happiest people on the planet. Show quality, take your place, and defend your place. ... If he said this, I do not understand."

It's unclear if Chelsea will move to sign a replacement before the transfer window slams shut Sept. 1. Armando Broja, who recently returned from a successful season on loan at Southampton, is the only senior center-forward in Tuchel's squad.