German club RB Leipzig have revealed that star striker Timo Werner "indicated a few weeks ago that he was looking into a transfer" amid speculation he is set to seal a move to Premier League side Chelsea.
Widespread reports emerged this week claiming Chelsea and the Germany international had agreed terms on a five-year contract. Werner, 24, has a clause in his current contract that allows him to leave Leipzig if a club pays €55 million. That clause is set to expire on June 15, which would explain the timing of Chelsea's approach for the striker.
However, while Leipzig's sporting director Oliver Mintzlaff admitted that Werner has expressed his desire to seek a transfer, he insisted that no deal has been completed yet.
"Timo Werner hasn't triggered the [release] clause [in his contract], and we haven't received a transfer contract from any club," said Mintzlaff.
"Timo Werner is in the driver's seat now, not us," Mintzlaff said, adding that Werner "indicated a few weeks ago that he was looking into a transfer".
On Saturday, Mintzlaff said he was pleased that Werner had renewed his contract last summer to avoid Leipzig losing him on a free transfer.
He added that he did not expect any complications over Werner's departure due to the changes in the football calendar brought about by the coronavirus crisis.
"We are sure that we will find a solution with his new club which allows us to end the Bundesliga season with Timo," he said.
The speculation regarding his future did not seem to affect Werner's focus on Saturday after setting up Patrik Schick's goal against Paderborn. However, Leipzig, who were reduced to 10 men for more than half of the match, were pegged back in injury time.
