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Timo Werner leaves Chelsea for RB Leipzig in a €30 million deal
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Timo Werner leaves Chelsea for Red Bull Leipzig. /CFP

Timo Werner leaves Chelsea for Red Bull Leipzig. /CFP

German striker Timo Werner returned to Red Bull Leipzig after the Bundesliga club reached an agreement with Chelsea over his transfer. The deal was confirmed by both teams on Tuesday.

Werner was transferred to Chelsea from Leipzig in July 2020 for 53 million euros (about $54.1 million). He made 89 appearances for "The Blues," scoring 23 goals and 21 assists in the two seasons since then.

Leipzig brought Werner back during this year's summer transfer window for 30 million euros (about $30.6 million) which reportedly includes a lot of add-ons depending on his performance. He signed a four-year contract with the team.

Timo Werner (R) of Chelsea tries to penetrate in the pre-season friendly against Arsenal at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida, July 23, 2022. /CFP

Timo Werner (R) of Chelsea tries to penetrate in the pre-season friendly against Arsenal at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida, July 23, 2022. /CFP

"I'm very happy to be able to play for RB Leipzig again," Werner said. "I had a great time here between 2016 and 2020, when we performed brilliantly as newcomers in the league. It was a dignified departure for me to leave the club as record goalscorer, but that's in the past now and I'm looking ahead, because both I and the club have developed in the past two years."

"I had two great years at Chelsea that I'm really grateful for and were crowned with the Champions League trophy. The experience to play abroad in a new league really helped me and my career. Now I'm looking forward to the new season with RB Leipzig and above all to meeting the Leipzig fans again, who mean a great deal to me. We want to achieve a lot and of course, I want to become the first Leipzig player to reach the 100-goal mark," he added.

Compared with his time in Chelsea, Werner's four seasons in Leipzig were more successful as he got 95 goals and 40 assists in 195 games. Since the FIFA World Cup will take place in Qatar from November 21 and December 18, he needs to find his best form back to be selected into the German national team.

Timo Werner of Germany shoots in the UEFA Nations League game against Italy at the Borussia-Park Stadium in Monchengladbach, Germany, June 14, 2022. /CFP

Timo Werner of Germany shoots in the UEFA Nations League game against Italy at the Borussia-Park Stadium in Monchengladbach, Germany, June 14, 2022. /CFP

"Timo Werner's signing is a special transfer for us," Leipzig technical director Christopher Vivell said. "We had a lot of great years together in Leipzig that saw Timo become the club's record goalscorer and a Germany international. His return means a lot to the supporters because Timo was a real fan favorite and figure of identification for a lot of people."

"The transfer made a lot of sense to us, both because of Timo's quality and the financial aspects of the deal. Now we want to build on the success that we started together and achieve our goals with Timo's help. Not only does that mean qualification to the Champions League, but we also want to get as far as possible in the cup competitions," Vivell added.

The departure of Werner meant Chelsea suffered another loss in their offensive line after Romelu Lukaku joined Inter Milan on loan. The departure of Antonio Rudiger for Real Madrid was also a hit to the team's firepower. Though Chelsea landed Raheem Sterling from Manchester City, they will need more offensive enhancements to compete with City and Liverpool.

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