Rumour Mongering: Timo Werner to Liverpool Could Happen in August or September

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Werner to Liverpool doesn’t seem as certain as it once did, but a deal may not be off the table entirely.

Beyond a welcome return of football to watch, for Liverpool fans the Bundesliga being back in action while the rest of the European leagues remain on lockdown has brought with it a chance to take a closer look at two of the club’s rumoured top transfer targets.

On Saturday, Kai Havertz kicked things off with a brace—one from the spot—for Bayer Leverkusen in a 3-1 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach. Then Timo Werner one-upped him on Sunday with a hat-trick for Leipzig against Jürgen Klopp’s old club, Mainz.

It was a reminder that, as good as Havertz is at 20 years of age, this summer the top priority has always been Timo Werner. Or at least it was until all the European leagues went on lockdown due to coronavirus. Now the situation has become a little less certain.

According to German football expert Raphael Honigstein, though, it could still be one, and Werner and Liverpool both still very much desire getting a deal done—but it could mean waiting until August or September now to see how the transfer market shakes out.

Honigstein told BT Sport over the weekend that he still thinks ‘there’s a very strong chance he’ll end up at Liverpool” and confirmed the player has been holding virtual meetings with Klopp in recent weeks but that everyone is “waiting for things to fall into shape.”

Previous reports have said that Liverpool are unlikely to feel it is wise to trigger Werner’s £50M release clause—which would mean paying the full fee up front—this summer, but the implication would seem to be that they may not be unwilling to do a deal entirely.

A lot, then, could come down to what happens when other leagues restart and then conclude their seasons. If transfers happen—including a few outgoings for the Reds—and a market is set, we could see Werner arrive in spite of the current uncertain situation.

Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com