Leeds United and Burnley both secured promotion to the Premier League last season and were both active in the recently concluded summer window, although fans may not feel they were active enough.
At one point, the two English clubs reportedly made attempts to sign RB Leipzig’s Timo Werner.
Last Wednesday, we covered claims from Germany that Werner had snubbed Leeds United and Burnley.
The 29-year-old is still at the Bundesliga club and a fresh report from Bild looks at Leeds, Burnley and other failed efforts to sign him.
Werner returned to Leipzig in the summer, after spending 18 months on loan at Tottenham Hotspur. He was then told he has no future at the German club, who wanted to get rid of one of their top earners [€10m per year].
The former Chelsea man rejected offers from Leeds, Burnley, New York Red Bulls and unnamed clubs from France and Italy. His decision to snub the Premier League duo and others can pay off.
There’s a ‘turnaround’ in his situation as Leipzig sporting director Marcel Schäfer in giving him hope.
“We’re solely focused on performance. I don’t know any coach in the world who’s afraid to field players who are the best in training,” he said.
In other words, Bild say the player has hope of returning to Leipzig’s squad. However, he has to prove he deserves it in training and is unlikely to be the first choice.
The window is still open in Turkey and Saudi Arabia, and the director isn’t closing the exit door completely.
“If something comes in, we remain open to discussion and solution-oriented,” Schäfer explained.
