Tottenham are very much on course to finalise the summer signing of Timo Werner having already put the wheels in motion for a permanent deal and in a move that will quickly extinguish claims of a move to hijack the transfer by Manchester United.
The Germany forward did not have an easy time of things during his first spell in England with Chelsea, having only managed to score 23 times in 89 appearances and largely struggling to justify the significant £47.5m fee then boss Frank Lampard shelled out for him at the time.


However, despite also failing to recapture his very best form back at RB Leipzig, Werner has very quickly adjusted to his new surroundings at Tottenham by playing a part in four goals already from just eight games, with two notches and two assists to his name. And having also earned two Man of the Match awards in that time, Werner has very quickly endeared himself to both manager Ange Postecoglou and their demanding supporters.
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Spurs paid Leipzig a fee of around €7.5m (£6.4m) to sign Werner on loan for the remainder of the season, securing as part of that deal an option to make the move permanent for an additional €17.5m (£15m).
And if his first eight games are anything to go by, Tottenham are landing themselves a rare bargain in the modern game, and with the 28-year-old seemingly coming into his peak, his very best years may well be spent in N17.
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You have envisaged a situation where the club may look

Tottenham confident of beating Man Utd to Timo Werner

Clearly Postecoglou likes what he sees in the attacker, who can operate off the left of attack, through the middle or even as a deeper No 10.
And the Aussie has also outlined also why he thinks the best is still to come from his January addition.
Speaking after Sunday’s excellent 4-0 win at Aston Villa, the 58-year-old said: “When you come in in January, especially for somebody of Timo’s standing, he’s a mature player, he’s not a young player we brought in to develop, we’re bringing him in to make an impact.
“And I think he has made an impact for us, but I do think there’s more to come from him for sure.”
However, reports over the last few days have indicated that his form has also alerted Manchester United who were ready to stun Spurs and make a counter-move of their own to sign Werner.
The Red Devils will be in the market for another striker option this summer with Anthony Martial due to depart and are reportedly strongly considering the possibility of gazumping Spurs to the 57-times capped Germany international.

And while Tottenham have the option to make the move permanent, that can only go through if the player agrees to it, with currently nothing preventing the player from agreeing terms elsewhere in the meantime.
Those reports though have now been torched, with an in-the-know journalist revealing Spurs are confident of pushing through his permanent signing and having indicated to Werner their plans to sign him permanently.

Werner will be Tottenham’s first signing of the summer

With the window opening for business in June, Spurs will likely make Werner their arrival of the summer, with journalist Dean Jones telling Givemesport: “It’s hard to see any other decision other than for Werner to remain at Spurs after this season.
“His option is £15m, and that’s a steal when you consider the quality and experience he can bring to the squad. If Spurs qualify for the Champions League, they will need a few heads in that team who know what it takes to manage games and situations.”

“Werner has played over 40 games at that level.
“When you think that Spurs will need to balance out the squad more next season by playing domestically and in Europe and that you can have a player like this for just £15m, it feels like a no-brainer.”
Werner himself has also indicated he will stay loyal to Spurs, admitting he is enjoying his football again.
“The fun has completely returned. I’ve changed a lot as a person, I’m much happier now,” he said last month.
“After just five games, you can tell that the decision to move has paid off for me.”
Tottenham and Werner can take a big step towards Champions League qualification this weekend when they take on Fulham at Craven Cottage. A win at their London rivals can take them fourth, for the time being at least, and ahead of Aston Villa’s trip to West Ham on Sunday.
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'Shockwaves to Pep Guardiola' - UK media react as Liverpool thrashes Sparta Prague

Following Liverpool's astounding 6-1 victory over Sparta Prague at Anfield on Thursday, it has effortlessly sailed into the last eight of the Europa League. This overwhelming win means Liverpool secured a staggering 11-2 aggregate score, having won the previous week as well, earning a 5-1 victory in Prague.

Notably, the return leg saw Bobby Clark, Mohamed Salah, Darwin Núñez, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Cody Gakpo (who scored twice) all hit the back of the net. It shot Liverpool's total goals tally for the season up to 117.
As ever, Liverpool.com was on hand for player ratings and analysis. But while we might be a little biased, the rest of the UK media was similarly enamored with the performance of Jürgen Klopp's men.
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Paul Joyce of The Times commented: "There have been many storied goalscorers at Liverpool down the years — Billy Liddell, Roger Hunt, Ian Rush et al — though it is Mohamed Salah who continues to break new ground."
He further went on to applaud Salah, saying: "An accomplished finish created a slice of history during a cakewalk last night as he became the first player for the club to plunder 20 goals in seven successive seasons.
Related video: Klopp delighted with Liverpool win over Sparta Prague (Metro)

Are not really surprising because he's an outstanding player.

"If progress beyond an abject Sparta Prague and into the Europa League quarter-finals is best remembered for being a breeze, the hosts 4-0 up in the blink of an eye, then Salah's hard work remains deserving of recognition, too.
"It is a sequence that bears testament to his availability and consistency but also his ruthlessness amid debates on whether he should even be classed as a striker given his starting position on the right of Jürgen Klopp's front three.
"Ticking off landmarks appeals to Salah's competitive streak and his creative juices were also evident on what was his first start since January 1 as Liverpool cantered into today's draw when favouritism to add another trophy to last month's Carabao Cup success will suit."
Chris Bascombe of the Telegraph felt a warning had been sent to Manchester United. "This brutal demolition of Sparta put one in mind of an FA Cup Third Round tie in which plucky but naïve non-leaguers swiftly realise they will take home their memories of having played in such a venue, but little else," he said.


"Sparta did at least provide an outright winner in this year's optimist of the year competition. Take a bow Sparta striker Veljko Birmancevic. One can only admire the inner belief that prompted him to dash after the ball after striking a souvenir goal in front of the Kop shortly before half-time.
"Birmancevic pushed his way past Caoimhín Kelleher, dashed back to the centre-circle, and urged the Portuguese referee to get on with the game so the next stage of the comeback could begin.
"Somewhat inconveniently for his side, they were already 9-2 down on aggregate after their childlike attacking tactics created an evening in which a five minute spell without a goal or chance qualified as a 'lull'.
"If Manchester United players were hoping Liverpool would be over-exerted before Sunday's FA Cup tie, they would have switched off after a few minutes. They must prepare themselves for two days of the intense Erik ten Hag defensive drills that kept an Anfield clean sheet in December."

Lewis Steele of the Daily Mail drew a parallel with the ongoing Cheltenham Festival. "To compare their trophy charge to a horse on the week of the Cheltenham festival, Liverpool have been heavily handicapped, not to mention a rippling injury crisis across the team.
"But with trainer Jürgen Klopp striving for greatness whoever is in the XI — 'it's not about who plays, it's how they play,' he often says — Liverpool are still flying.
"That, though, can surely only get better now Salah is fully fit. His goal and a hat-trick of assists against Sparta Prague in this 6-1 thrashing just sent a reminder of his unique talents and importance to this team.
"His goal took his tally to 20 for the season for the seventh successive campaign. No player in the illustrious history of Liverpool has done that, further underlining his case as one of the greatest players to grace the Anfield turf.

"It must have also sent shockwaves to Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta ahead of the final stretch of the season, not to mention Erik ten Hag ahead of Liverpool's trip to Old Trafford in the FA Cup on Sunday."
Ian Doyle of the Liverpool ECHO underlined the rather surreal nature of the win. "That early flurry of goals meant that, as Klopp later admitted, it ultimately proved a strange if enjoyable evening at Anfield. And it could well be the final time of his reign that Liverpool will be able to take their foot off the gas, even if only for a half.
"Certainly, the intensity will be ramped up on Sunday with the FA Cup trip to Old Trafford, with the Reds' raft of half-time changes highlighting one eye was already firmly on that mouthwatering assignment.
"The Europa League, too, will crank up a notch when Liverpool return from the forthcoming international break. They will find out their quarter-final opponents at lunchtime today, with the standard of opposition higher than anything they've faced in the competition so far this season.
"Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen remain the chief threat, but trips to Roma, Milan, Marseille or Benfica won't be easy. Then there's Premier League opposition in West Ham United, along with Atalanta.
"All of those, though, are acutely aware the one team they won't want to face is Liverpool. A May date in Dublin is edging ever closer."
Liverpool.com says: Klopp certainly wasn't of a mind to take his foot off the gas, although four goals within 15 minutes made it impossible for even these mentality monsters to keep going at full throttle. Hopefully, it's the best of both worlds, with momentum and confidence firmly maintained but 70 minutes or so of slightly less intense football.
The emphatic win has set up a tie against Atalanta in the quarter-finals, while a final against Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen could be on the cards. Liverpool of course won't look too far ahead, but there's no reason why it shouldn't feel confident of going all the way to Dublin.
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can read the original story in the ECHO by clicking here.

Liverpool eye ambitions £100m deal as Edwards contemplates double Bayern Munich raid

Liverpool have set their sights on two Bayern Munich stars, including one player who is valued at £100m, according to the latest reports.
The Reds are set to be in for a busy summer, with Jurgen Klopp set to step aside at the end of the campaign, it’s all change at Anfield this summer.

Michael Edwards will be keen to bolster Liverpool’s existing squad and a number of transfer targets have already been drafted up.
According to Football Insider, the Reds are ‘very keen’ to strike a deal for Bayern Munich playmaker Jamal Musiala this summer.
The 21-year-old is one of the most exciting prospects in Europe, but his long-term future at the Allianz Arena is currently up in the air.
His current deal is set to expire in 2026 and the latest reports have suggested that Musiala has rejected a fresh contract amid the problems behind the scenes at Bayern.
The report states that the German champions value the attacking midfielder at £100m, although they have ‘no intention’ of losing him in the summer.
According to TEAMtalk sources, Man City have also identified the Bayern Munich star as a player of interest. With 10 goals and six assists this season, it’s easy to see why so many top clubs are interested.
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but more experienced enough that he recovered already during the

Along with his impressive goal contributions, Musiala also averages 3.1 successful dribbles per game and creates an average of 1.6 chances.
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Joshua Kimmich is also a Liverpool target

Along with Musiala, Liverpool are also keeping tabs on his teammate Kimmich. The 29-year-old defensive midfielder faces an uncertain future in Germany and the Reds could look to pull off an ambitious double swoop.
According to BILD‘s Christian Falk, Edwards will make attempts to sign Kimmich this summer, regardless of who replaces Jurgen Klopp.
Falk told BILD: “As is well known, Jurgen Klopp is leaving Liverpool at the end of the season, but it doesn’t change the plans that they want to, at least try to get Kimmich in Liverpool.
“So, they’ll keep going and nothing has changed just because Klopp is moving, Liverpool are very much following Kimmich’s career.”


The 29-year-old is out of contract in 2025 and it’s thought that he could be available for as little as £25m. Given his experience and pedigree at the top level, that price seems like a snip.
At his best, Kimmich is one of the best holding midfielders in Europe. While Wataru Endo has done a great job for Liverpool of late, Kimmich would represent an obvious upgrade in this department.
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Chelsea lock horns with Arsenal over £85m star who is currently in the form of his life

Chelsea and Arsenal are set to battle for one of Europe’s most in-form players this summer, with clubs aware of his tantalising release clause.
It’s no secret that both Arsenal and Chelsea will be in the market for a striker in the summer. The Gunners are keen to secure an upgrade on Gabriel Jesus and Mauricio Pochettino’s side need someone to compete with Nicolas Jackson.
While the likes of Ivan Toney and Victor Osimhen have been considered by both clubs, it seems as if they both have a new target in mind.
As previously reported by TEAMtalk, Arsenal have made Sporting forward Viktor Gyokeres one of their top targets ahead of the summer window.
According to Football Insider, Chelsea are also interested in signing the 25-year-old this summer which could scupper Arsenal’s plans.
The Swedish forward has been in the form of his life this season, scoring 33 goals and providing 13 assists for Sporting across all competitions.
Formerly of Brighton and Coventry City, Gyokeres has grabbed plenty of headlines with his prolific form this season.
Sporting managed to sign him last summer for a base fee of just €20m and it’s fair to say that his price tag has exponentially increased over the last few months.
Clubs will likely have to trigger his €100m (£85m) release clause in order for Sporting to part with their prized asset in the summer.
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Was that a game plan failure

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Gyokeres would be a great option for either side

While Gyokeres is yet to prove himself in one of Europe’s top five leagues, he looks more than capable of making the step up based on this season.
Since arriving at Sporting, the 25-year-old has averaged a goal contribution every 67.4 minutes which is a sublime return given it’s his first season in Portugal.
The thing to like about Gyokeres is how many chances he’s able to create for himself. He can leave defenders for dead with the drop of a shoulder and his creative numbers have also been really strong too.
Of course, it would be hard for the Swedish international to produce his current numbers in the Premier League, but even if his output halved, he’d still be a great option for the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal.
Gyokeres was the subject of Premier League interest in January, but he reaffirmed his commitment to Sporting at the time.

He told Record: “I’m very happy here and I don’t care about any interested parties at the moment.
“I’m enjoying every day here and not thinking about what’s going on around me. Yes, there’s talk of big clubs, but for now it’s just news. That’s all. This is where I want to stay.”
Come the summer, there’s every chance that Gyokeres will be more open to a move, especially with how many big clubs are now sniffing around.
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