Premier League's Secret Agents: From Paul Pogba to Cesc Fabregas

While an offer of £180,000 a week certainly didn't do Chelsea's hopes of landing Timo Werner any harm, the Blues also had a secret weapon up their sleeve.

According to German newspaper Bild, Antonio Rudiger made a special call to his international team-mate in a bid to convince him to move to Stamford Bridge.

The pair are close friends after rising through the ranks at Stuttgart and playing for the first team together between 2013 and 2015.

They have also starred alongside each other for Germany since 2017 and lifted the Confederations Cup in Russia in the same year.

Rudiger's glowing endorsement of Chelsea and life in London is said to have played a major role in Werner's decision to ignore interest from Liverpool and agree a five-year contract with Frank Lampard's side.

But while the defender's intervention may have proved key, it's not the first time a club have had a personal relationship to thank for getting a transfer over the line.

Here, Sportsmail takes a look at how some of the Premier League's other Secret Agents managed to persuade friends to join them.

WHEN PAUL POGBA BECAME 'AGENT P'

In the summer of 2017, Romelu Lukaku was a man in demand.

The Belgium striker had just scored 25 Premier League goals for Everton and had Manchester United and his former club, Chelsea, vying for his signature.

At one point, it appeared as though a return to Stamford Bridge was most likely. And then Paul Pogba stepped in.

The pair travelled to Los Angeles for a holiday and spoke about linking up at Old Trafford in between nights out and relaxing by the pool in their lavish mansion.

They had spent time together in Miami in the summer of 2016 and had become close friends. Having the same agent, Mino Raiola, didn't hurt either.

'I had been preparing for this. It was long work - I took him to dinner and I talked to him,' Pogba revealed a month after Lukaku had signed his contract at United.

'I had to work for it but the finale is that he's here, he's with us and he's banging in goals. He's a player who knows the Premier League and can help us a lot.'

And while it may have been Raiola who agreed the details of Lukaku's £75million switch from Goodison Park, Pogba was in no doubt after the role he had played.

Alongside a video of himself greeting his pal after Lukaku's move was confirmed, the Frenchman branded himself 'Agent P'.

Their friendship was not enough to keep the former Anderlecht star at United for the length of his contract, however, and he departed for Inter Milan last summer.

CESC FABREGAS' DECISIVE CALL TO PEDRO

Pedro looked to be on his way from Barcelona to Manchester United in the summer of 2015 after deciding to make a fresh start in the Premier League.

But after a phone call from Cesc Fabregas, the Spain winger was soon heading for London instead.

The pair were international team-mates at the time and had spent three trophy-laden years together at the Nou Camp between 2011 and 2014.

And after becoming good friends, it was Fabregas who instigated Pedro's £19m move to Stamford Bridge a year after he had made the same switch.

'My transfer to Chelsea was done within a couple of days. It all started with a call from Cesc,' Pedro told El Pais after arriving in the capital.

'(Jose) Mourinho then gave me a call and that helped me make a decision. Mourinho made me feel important and gave me confidence.'

It was also claimed that Fabregas' partner, Daniella Semaan, played a part after calling Pedro's wife, Carolina Martin, to explain why life in London may suit them better than Manchester.

Pedro looks set to depart Chelsea on a free transfer when his contract expires this summer, but it remains to be seen if he'll follow Fabregas to Monaco.

PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG FOLLOWS HIS 'BROTHER'

Arsenal's decision to swap Alexis Sanchez for Henrikh Mkhitaryan may not have gone down too well among supporters, but it did help the Gunners land arguably their best player.

After the Armenian left Old Trafford for the Emirates in January 2018, he was straight on the phone to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The Borussia Dortmund striker had emerged as a target for Arsene Wenger during the winter window, but still needed to be convinced about a move to north London.

Luckily for Wenger, the pair were close from their time together at Dortmund and, despite Mkhitaryan being new to the club, he was able to persuade his friend to follow him.

'He called me a few times and asked, 'Will you come or not?' Aubameyang told Arsenal.com after signing. 'I said, "First you have to tell me if you signed or not".

'He told me it was all done — and of course it was a big factor in me coming here.

'It's like being reunited with a brother, a good friend. We played together in the past and I'm really happy to see him again.'

The Gunners used Mkhitaryan in their video to reveal Aubameyang's signing and the duo were soon linking up together in the starting XI.

'We understand each other on and off the pitch, that's why it's easier on the pitch,' Aubameyang added. '[The fans] have to be happy [to see us together], we will do our best of course, like we did in the past.

'We know each other on and off the pitch.'

SADIO MANE SIGNS UP HIS FORMER TEAM-MATE

Naby Keita emerged as one of Europe's most wanted midfielders during the 2016-17 season, impressing with his all action displays in the Bundesliga for RB Leipzig.

Despite interest from around Europe, it was Liverpool who agreed a deal to sign him in 2018 after agreeing to pay his £48m release clause and an added premium.

Personal terms were not an issue, but the influence of Sadio Mane proved pivotal in persuading Keita that Liverpool were the right club for him to take the next step in his career.

The pair had become friends during their time playing for Red Bull Salzburg, and Keita was keen to be reunited with his 'brother' on Merseyside.

'I chose Liverpool because it is a team I watched often and I also spoke a lot about it with Sadio,' Keita revealed after putting pen to paper.

'He told me a lot about the team and the club. Sadio is like family to me. We were friends at Salzburg and he was like a brother to me.

'After training we used to go home together. He was my best friend there. I'm looking forward to being his team-mate again.

'I also spoke with the coach, who told me about the project for the team and that motivated me to be here.'

PHIL NEVILLE GIVES EVERTON A HAND

It's not just current players that have had an impact on where transfer targets end up.

In 2018, when Portugal midfielder Andre Gomes was told he could leave Barcelona, he had a number of options to weigh-up.

One of those was a loan move to Everton, and so he decided to speak to former Toffees captain Phil Neville, who had a brief spell as Valencia's assistant manager while Gomes was playing at the Spanish club.

After a chat with Neville - and a few words with Lucas Digne, who had just made the move from the Nou Camp to Goodison - Gomes decided to do the same.

'I am sure I made the best decision [to join Everton],' Gomes said after joining the Premier League side.

'I spoke with Phil Neville, too. I am good friends with him from my time at Valencia, and he played here and he knew how the club works.

'I spoke to Lucas Digne, too. He played with me in Barcelona, he signed two or three weeks before me and he gave me information about the club and the facilities.

'I am glad to be at Everton now and really happy with the decision. I am getting confidence and better every day so I am really happy with that.'

Gomes enjoyed a fine season on loan at Goodison and made his move permanent last summer in a £22m deal.