Tottenham on brink of completing loan deal for RB Leipzig forward Werner

Timo Werner has returned to Germany with RB Leipzig after their winter training camp in Spain but is set to fly to London in the coming days to complete his loan switch to Tottenham.

Spurs have agreed a deal with RB Leipzig to sign the 27-year-old until the end of the season. Spurs will cover his full salary, while there is an option to buy the forward at the end of the season.

Sky in Germany report the fee to sign Werner permanently at the end of the season stands at £15.5m.

Sky Sports News reported earlier this week that the former Chelsea player has been offered to Manchester United in the January transfer window but he now looks set to return to London this month.

Ange Postecoglou's side will be without club captain Heung-Min Son for at least a month due to his participation in the Asia Cup and there are fears Alejo Veliz has suffered a long-term knee injury.

Werner has featured just eight times for Leipzig in the Bundesliga this season, scoring two goals. His current contract runs until the summer of 2026.

Leipzig issued a statement on their official social media channels on Saturday confirming the Germany international had been left out of their squad for a friendly against Swiss Super League side St Gallen while he holds talks with another club.

Werner scored 93 goals and made 40 assists in 157 appearances in his first spell at Leipzig before signing for Chelsea for £45m in July 2020.

However, his stint at Stamford Bridge was a largely disappointing one as he netted only 10 times in 56 Premier League games before re-joining his former club in 2022.

Spurned chances at Chelsea extinguished Werner's potential

Sky Sports' Adam Smith:

Timo Werner arrived in the Premier League three-and-a-half years ago with great expectations. His playing style was likened to Mohamed Salah and the forward immediately displayed his direct qualities but struggled to convert chances in front of goal.

The radar below compares Werner's per-90 statistics during his time at Chelsea with his previous three league campaigns in Germany and reveals the only metric that notably changed was his strike rate.

In terms of tangible numbers, Werner scored 10 goals in two Premier League seasons at Chelsea - but should have scored nearly twice that figure, according to expected goals (xG).

The shot map below plots all of his 124 shots for Chelsea in the Premier League, with points coloured in progressive red shades indicating easier chances to convert - revealing a raft of spurned chances in front of goal.

He was deployed in numerous positions across the firing line in an attempt to surface his underlying talent, but he failed to deliver while competing against a host of attacking options vying for starting berths.

Tottenham will hope Werner's second attempt at cracking Premier League football will be a successful one. He will certainly feel he has unfinished business in England.

Spurs and Genoa continue talks over Dragusin

Tottenham target Radu Dragusin played for Genoa on Friday night as talks continue between the two clubs.

The Romania international started and completed the full 90 minutes of Genoa's 1-1 draw at Bologna in Serie A.

Spurs, meanwhile, have no concerns about Napoli's interest in the 21-year-old.

Signing a centre-back remains a priority in the January transfer window for Ange Postecoglou's side.