Report: Timo Werner will be benched against Estonia and won’t move to Bayern Munich this summer

RB Leipzig striker had the intention of using Germany’s Euro 2020 qualifiers against Belarus and Estonia as his own personal closing argument for why Bayern Munich should sign him. Werner, who has been heavily linked to Bayern for the better part of 2019, wanted to show the Bavarian bosses his quality and look to cement a deal that would bring him to Munich for the 2019-2020 season.

Werner’s grandiose plans, however, are not going to form.

Marcus Sorg, who is filling in for the recovering Joachim Low, opted to bench Werner in Die Mannschaft’s 2-0 victory over Belarus and spoke to Bild (behind the Bild+ paywall) about why Werner was not in the starting lineup. Sorg also addressed likelihood that Werner’s position on the bench will likely remain the same against Estonia:

Through the win against Holland in March, we have stayed with a certain formation. Marco Reus, who is in outstanding form, has been given precedence. We now have won again, and that’s how it is.

Perhaps sensing how the perception of the lineup snub of Werner may look, Sorg went on to throw the 23-year-old an empty compliment:

Timo is and remains a fixed part of the team. We will all be very, very happy that we have him.

Bild’s latest information also reinforced its previous report that Bayern was content to wait until 2020 to make a move, as Werner would then be available on a free transfer. RB Leipzig has been rumored to want as much as €60 million for Werner.

BFW Analysis

Off all the players in this drama, no one stands to lose more than RB Leipzig, which now might face losing its most valuable asset for nothing if it cannot consummate a deal with Bayern this summer.

There have been numerous reports that Bayern has already worked out personal terms with Werner and that the only roadblock holding up the transfer is the fee being demanded by RB Leipzig. With Werner losing the opportunity to display his talent on the international stage, things surely do not look good with regard to the striker’s potential move to Munich.

The threat of a free transfer, however, could be enough to make Die Roten Bullen re-think its demands. Is it better to get something for Werner or to risk allowing him to leave next summer for nothing? That is the biggest question facing the Leipzig front office today.

Bayern’s expert play during this negotiation is a textbook squeeze job. If the Bavarians really want Werner they can let him spend the season with Julian Nagelsmann and then sign him next summer. At that point, Robert Lewandowski will be a year older and the picture surrounding the future of Thomas Muller and the durability of wings Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry will be much more clear.

On the other hand, if Bayern really does want to bring in Werner this summer, it has drawn a line the sand: “Take a lesser number or we’ll just wait this thing out until 2020 when you will get nothing.”

This, by all accounts, is a no-lose situation for Bayern.