Liverpool tipped to lure Leipzig ace Werner as Havertz and Sancho become too pricey

Liverpool

Liverpool will reportedly target RB Leipzig's £50m-rated striker Timo Werner because they won't pay the £100m-plus asking prices of Kai Havertz or Jadon Sancho.

The Athletic’s Liverpool correspondent James Pearce claims Reds will be in the market for another forward in the summer, but they have ruled out Havertz and Sancho on financial grounds.

Werner, who has a 60m euros exit clause in his contract at RB Leipzig, is seen as the most likely addition to Jurgen Klopp’s squad because he is available for much less.

The 23-year-old has been linked with the Reds on and off for the past two years now and he’s certainly a player Klopp admires.

And the news that the Confederation of African Football has moved the 2021 African Cup of Nations back to its former mid-season slot has sharpened Liverpool’s focus as they prepare to be without so many key players during that tournament next season.

Mo Salah, Naby Keita, Sadio Mane and Joel Matip could all be missing, leaving Klopp shorn of three of his top attacking talents for a month or more.

Liverpool will address that problem in the summer although Bayer Leverkusen’s 120m euros price-tag for Havertz, and the likelihood it could take even more to prise Sancho away from Dortmund, has reportedly taken them off the target list.

Werner has a fantastic goal return for Leipzig, hitting 86 in 143 games in all competitions, and has averaged a goal per game in the Bundesliga so far this season, with 20 strikes in 20 appearances in the German top flight.

The Athletic also state Liverpool’s next transfer priority is recruiting a new left-back to provide cover and competition for Andy Robertson.

Timo Werner Jadon Sancho Kai Havertz

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