RB Leipzig have reportedly set Tottenham Hotspur a deadline to activate their option to sign Timo Werner on a permanent deal.
The former Chelsea man made an unexpected return to the English capital in the January transfer window, joining the Lilywhites on loan until the end of the campaign.
Werner was hit-and-miss during his first spell in the Premier League but has made a respectable start to life at Tottenham, scoring two goals and setting up two more in eight top-flight appearances.
The Germany international set up goals against Brentford and Manchester United in his first two Premier League starts for Ange Postecoglou's side, before netting against Crystal Palace and Aston Villa earlier this month.
However, with Brennan Johnson also impressing in recent weeks, Werner has only started one of Spurs' last four Premier League matches and was only a second-half substitute in their 3-0 loss to Fulham at the weekend.
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Richarlison's return from a knee injury could also limit Werner's minutes between now and the end of the season, at which point Tottenham can trigger a clause of around £15m to keep the 28-year-old at the club for good.
The North London club want to see how Werner performs for the remainder of the season before making a decision, but according to The Mirror - via the Daily Express - Leipzig want an answer before the start of Euro 2024.
Even if Tottenham opt against triggering Werner's clause, the report adds that Leipzig would still be open to letting him leave for North London permanently, but they would demand a higher fee from their English counterparts.
Should the attacker not do enough to earn a permanent contract with Tottenham, he will head back to Leipzig for pre-season, and he still has a little over two years left to run on his deal with Die Roten Bullen.
Werner's breakthrough at the Red Bull Arena earned him a £45.3m switch to Chelsea in 2020, but he spent just two years at Stamford Bridge before being shipped back out to Leipzig for a more modest £17.1m.
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However, the German has failed to rediscover his prolific form of old, managing nine Bundesliga goals in 2022-23 and netting just twice in 14 appearances for Die Roten Bullen during the first half of the current campaign.
As a result, Werner was left out of Julian Nagelsmann's Germany squad for their upcoming friendlies with France and the Netherlands, and the 28-year-old has not played for his country since March 2023.
Werner's hopes of staying at Tottenham could also be hindered by the club's pursuit of a big-money centre-forward, as they opted against signing a marquee replacement for Harry Kane last summer.
Nevertheless, Richarlison hit a rich vein of form before his injury with nine goals in a 10-game spell from December 10 to February 3, while Alejo Veliz will return from his loan spell at Sevilla when the campaign concludes.
The 20-year-old is yet to make his mark in La Liga, though, only playing 23 minutes since joining in January, and he was left out of the squad for their 2-1 loss to Celta Vigo at the weekend.
Ben Knapton
