Liverpool Names 'Only True' Timo Werner Replacement Following Failed Massive Deal

Liverpool has named an immediate possible replacement for RB Leipzig star Timo Werner.

After a long courtship, Liverpool was ultimately rejected by German sensation Werner. It has been a Werner sweepstakes at the Premier League these past few weeks as Chelsea has reportedly also been keen on signing the RB Leipzig forward. The Reds’ hopes of signing Werner were dashed when the 24-year-old rising star verbally agreed to a deal with the Blues.

Ahead of Werner and Chelsea’s agreement, Liverpool was reportedly considering Barcelona star Ousmane Dembele as possible backup option in case its bid for the £55 million-worth player ($67.9 million) doesn’t succeed. However, Liverpool.com recently revealed that the club is now searching for an attacking midfielder who could be a significant help for Mo Salah and Sadio Mane. According to the club’s official website, Bayer Leverkusen’s Kai Havertz is the “only true replacement and might just be the best young talent” the Reds could be looking for.

The report pointed out that if Liverpool is really open to spending big on an attacking player like it was with Werner, Havertz could be the perfect candidate. The Bayer Leverkusen star has already scored five goals in just four matches since coming back from hiatus, improving his tally to 28 goals in his last two seasons. Havertz has been drawing attention from the biggest clubs across Europe’s top five leagues. At 20, he is now the youngest player in Bundesliga to make 50 and 100 league appearances.

Havertz has been pursued by Manchester United, but it was LaLiga giant Real Madrid which made the move to try and lure him via a £71.2 million ($90 million) bid.

However, Bild (via AS) reported that Bayer Leverkusen has rejected the offer. Sources from Germany and Spain also claimed that Real was even prepared to let Havertz stay at Leverkusen for another season as part of the deal, but Los Blancos was turned down by the German side.

Manchester Evening News recently revealed that Man United was reportedly the first Premier League club to inquire about Havertz last summer, but the club was told he was not up for sale. Just like Liverpool, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is said to be eager to add an attacking talent to his side at the end of the season. And the youngster’s ability to play right-winger and attacking midfielder made him a perfect target.

An anonymous Leverkusen assistant said the only thing certain about Havertz at the moment was that “Bayer won’t sell him for a cheap fee.”