Chelsea striker Timo Werner was interested in moving to Manchester United when he turned down a move to rivals Liverpool, evidence presented as part of a lawsuit in Germany alleges.
Werner was widely rumored to be a player that Liverpool and coach Jurgen Klopp loved so much before they opted to sign Diogo Jota from the Wolves on a long-term deal.
The Reds had reportedly investigated the German forward, with recent reports suggesting that the club approached him in 2019 months before his contract with RB Leipzig expired.
But Werner eventually signed a contract extension with Leipzig, before Chelsea paid the £ 48 million buyout clause just a year later.
Now, a report in Der Spiegel details a lawsuit between Werner’s agent Karl-Heinz Forster and his longtime partner Murat Lokurlu, The Mirror reports.
Submission of evidence by Lokurlu as part of the financial disagreement includes a series of WhatsApp chats detailing an apparent proposed transfer to Werner in 2019.
According to extracted WhatsApp messages published by Der Spiegel, reported by Sport Witness, the German forward had discussed a possible transfer to Old Trafford with his adviser Murat Lokurlu, and described the Red Devils as his “favorite”.
Chelsea, which was run by Frank Lampard at the time, was apparently called “super alternatives.”
Werner reportedly spoke of favoring a trade to United after Liverpool submitted an offer for a five-year contract worth around € 12 million a year (£ 10.5 million), which is equivalent to more. £ 200,000 a week.
Such a deal would also have included lucrative bonuses totaling 25 million euros (£ 21 million), according to the report.
Man United reportedly made the first offer for Werner’s services, beating Liverpool’s salary offer with a package worth € 15 million per season.
However, his move did materialize and Werner moved to Stamford Bridge, where he remains a key part of Thomas Tuchel’s plans, despite being linked to a return to Germany with Borussia Dortmund.
He scored his first goal of the season in the 1-1 Carabao. The summary ends.
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