RB Leipzig CEO confident Timo Werner won’t go to Bayern Munich yet

After the comments Timo Werner made following RB Leipzig’s 1-0 loss to Bayern Muinch last week, speculation of a potential move to Bayern came to fruition for the 22-year old. When he said that there’s “only one club in question” if he were to leave Leipzig but stay in Germany, everyone assumed he was making a reference to Bayern, however Liverpool were also said to be another highly interested club.

Despite the speculation of a potential move, Leipzig CEO Oliver Mintzlaff remains relaxed over the situation and insists he’s not worried about Werner wanting to leave. Per a report by Kreisbote.de, Mintzlaff said that Leipzig are in talks right now to agree on a contract extension for Werner, and he’s confident that an agreement will eventually be made:

We’ve put an offer on the table. We want to extend him and are now holding talks. We don’t have a mint. Obviously we can’t pay as much in wages as Bayern or Dortmund. As of now, I’m profoundly relaxed with respect to the Timo case. I don’t understand why he should transfer. At Bayern, he wouldn’t be able to utilize his skills, because Bayern Munich faces highly defensive teams in the Bundesliga. He won’t be doing himself a favor if he goes to England or Bayern.

Leipzig manager Ralf Rangnick cut a slightly less confident tone than Mintzlaff regarding Werner’s future, but he still doesn’t see why the 22-year old would decide to leave Leipzig:

I can’t recognize any flirt [with Bayern]. Timo will think about things over Christmas and then we’ll see. Then it’ll be his turn, and he’ll tell us whether he still sees his long-term future with us.

With how good Werner has been for Die Roten Bullen, Bayern does seem like the most natural next step for the young striker, but Mintzlaff had a good point when he said that Werner’s skills might not be best utilized with them. Additionally, if he were to go to either Bayern or Liverpool, he would almost certainly have to accept that fact that he wouldn’t be a starter at either club, at least for the next couple of seasons. Staying at Leipzig would ensure he would continue to see solid minutes with a starting role and continue to develop as one of the standout players in the Bundesliga.

If Werner stays at Leipzig for at least another season, he could continue to pump out thoroughly impressive numbers - mind you, he scored in Leipzig’s recent 3-2 win over Werder Bremen, so his 2018/2019 tally is now 11.