ESPN have reported that Barcelona are interested in signing Chelsea forward Timo Werner in the January transfer window.
The Catalans have also shown interest in Chelsea’s winger Hakim Ziyech. Xavi views Hakim Ziyech as an alternative to Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling. Barcelona have a wishlist of strikers for the January transfer window. This list includes the likes of Chelse’s Timo Werner, Manchester United’s Edinson Cavani and Manchester City’s Rahmeen Sterling.
Both Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech have struggled to cement their place in the starting line-up since their switch to Stanford bridge. Timo Werner has fallen even further down the pecking offer with the arrival of club-record signing Romelu Lukaku.
Barcelona are still in massive financial debt. On top of that, the club are facing an attacking injury crisis. Sergio Aguero is out for at least three months after undergoing a cardiological evaluation. World cup winner Ousmane Dembele has been in and out of the side with constant injury setbacks. Ansu Fati has also had his handful of injuries this season.
New Barcelona manager Xavi is hence likely to prioritize a forward signing in the January transfer window. He has reportedly asked the board to sign two or three new players to improve his current squad in January.
Timo Werner has scored just 12 goals in over 50 appearances for the European champions since his £47 million move from RB Leipzig. He has failed to show the same attacking heights he showed with RB Leipzig. While he has only featured in 11 matches this season for the Blues.
Why Xavi and Barcelona should move for Timo Werner?
Reports coming out of Stamford Bridge suggest that Timo Werner will be looking for a move away in January if his situation at the club doesn’t improve. Barcelona are also looking for new forward players, so the move makes a lot of sense for both parties.
Despite his limited game time, Werner has averaged 1.6 shots, 0.6 dribbles, and 0.3 key passes per game in the Premier League. He also has a pass completion rate of 75.3% in the opposition half in the English top division. (stats via whoscored)
A move away from the Europan champions will certainly help Timo Werner regain his confidence and find some much-needed consistency. Despite his horrid time, he has still managed to put in a few eye-catching performances.
Werner would add pace, agility and the ability to make runs in behind the defence to Barcelona’s forward play. If Xavi can lure Werner to the Nou Camp in January, he will certainly score a lot of goals for Xavi and add a new dimension to the attack.
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