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Barcelona and Real Madrid set to battle for Bundesliga star

By Rucker Haringey

SAINT PETERSBURG, RUSSIA - JULY 02: Timo Werner of Germany steals the ball off Marcelo Diaz of Chile, which leads to Lars Stindl of Germany scoring his sides first goal during the FIFA Confederations Cup Russia 2017 Final between Chile and Germany at Saint Petersburg Stadium on July 2, 2017 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
SAINT PETERSBURG, RUSSIA - JULY 02: Timo Werner of Germany steals the ball off Marcelo Diaz of Chile, which leads to Lars Stindl of Germany scoring his sides first goal during the FIFA Confederations Cup Russia 2017 Final between Chile and Germany at Saint Petersburg Stadium on July 2, 2017 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images) /
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Barcelona and Real Madrid both want this talented attacker

RB Leipzig will face quite a battle this summer to keep hold of Timo Werner. The talented German striker is attracting serious attention from powerful clubs all over Europe. In particular, Barcelona and Real Madrid are poised to do battle in an effort to win his services.

Reports from Spain (courtesy of the Daily Mail) claim that Leipzig should be prepared to realize a massive profit on last year’s £8 million purchase from Stuttgart. Both La Liga clubs will be prepared to make massive summer offers for Werner. Given the way he’s played this season, that shouldn’t come as a surprise.

The talented striker has already found the net five times in just six Bundesliga matches. His Whoscored.com player rating average of 7.43 shows that he contributes more than just goals for his side. His pace allows his runs to create massive amounts of space for his talented teammates.

There’s no question Werner has the ability to help Barcelona, Real Madrid, or any number of other European powers. The real question is which club will see him as the solution to their striker problem. A player of Werner’s caliber isn’t going to want to sit on the bench.

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Both La Liga clubs have issues within their own attacking corps. Real Madrid sent Alvaro Morata to Chelsea in a big money move this summer and have failed to replace him. It’s very possible that Werner would arrive at the Bernabeu and unseat Karim Benzema for the starting spot. Putting a player like Werner up top would allow Zinedine Zidane to stretch defenses in a way that he cannot with Benzema leading the line.

Barcelona, on the other hand, have attacking issues of their own. The Catalan giants lost Neymar to PSG this summer and didn’t do much to replace his goal scoring. Unless you’re a fervent believer in Paco Alcacer, it’s clear Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez can use some more support. Werner’s versatility would be an ideal fit for what Ernesto Valverde is trying to create.

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In the end, look for Werner to look for assurances about playing time for any club that comes calling this summer. If both Barcelona and Real Madrid can convince him that’s possible with their clubs, expect a massive bidding war to ensue.

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