Rb Leipzig CEO Oliver Mintzlaff is not interested in bartering over Timo Werner, or so he says.
The striker has a release-clause which is currently available for activation of around £50m – but according to Dave Maddock in the Mirror last night – the Reds are only interested in paying £30m for the 24-year-old and have walked away from a transfer as a result.
If this is a game-plan, it’s not one that Rb Leipzig have much time for.
“It won’t get any cheaper. We will not sell a player below value if he is under contract for more than a year,” Mintzlaff said.
“In general, we always ask the question: can we replace a player if we sell him for less than his market value?”
Werner has made no secret of his desire to sign for Liverpool – and we know that Jurgen Klopp’s talks with the striker in April went well – but it appears the clubs are in somewhat of a Mexican standoff.
In many ways, you can understand both their positions. Liverpool don’t want to spend £50m, which is still a very big sum, on a striker during this uncertain financial period and believe the transfer market has taken a downward turn and Werner’s price should therefore reflect this.
Rb Leipzig on the other hand don’t want to lose their prized asset for less than the release-clause many considered a bargain just a few months ago.