Gossip: Chelsea ‘open’ to Bayern swap; Pep snubs Mendes

Editor F365
Timo Werner Chelsea

Chelsea are ‘open’ to a Werner swap and Guardiola isn’t falling for Jorge Mendes’ sh*t.

 

SANE FOR WERNER
The headline gossip earlier this week was all about Leroy Sane and a potential move to Chelsea.

Sane has failed to settle at Bayern Munich following his £40m move from City in the summer of 2020. He scored six goals and notched ten assists in 18 Bundesliga starts last season, but Julian Nagelsmann has a wealth of options in those forward areas and is unable (or unwilling) to give Sane a consistent run in the team.

That report put three fringe Chelsea players forward as potential makeweights for Sane – Christian Pulisic, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Hakim Ziyech.

Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann is reportedly keen on a Blues player, but not one of the trio mentioned. He wants to reuinite with Timo Werner.

The forward scored 34 goals under Nagelsmann for RB Leipzig before his move to Stamford Bridge and according to Sport 1, ‘Werner’s name has already been discussed internally since Nagelsmann’s arrival’ at Bayern, and they rate his chances of returning to Germany next summer at 70%.

Werner remains ‘in regular contact with his former boss’.

And Todo Fichajes claim Chelsea ‘would be open’ to a swap move for Sane if the Bundesliga side pish to bring Werner – who they see as Robert Lewandowski’s successor – back to Germany.

Thomas Tuchel has remained a cheerleader for Werner, who has struggled for form since his move to the Premier League.

And the German boss is convinced that new Romelu Lukaku can bring the best out of Werner: “We did already and Timo and Romelu can be a good fit together. Timo loves to play around a reference up front and Romelu is clearly our reference up front being a tall and physical player.”

 

NICE GUY PEP
Ansu Fati is Barcelona’s new No.10, but his possession of the famous jersey could well be brief.

The 18-year-old’s current contract is up at the end of the season and while the Catalan club believe they have an option of extending the deal for a further two years, Fati’s agent, Jorge Mendes, believes the clause is invalid.

Not resting on his laurels, the super-agent is now offering the teenager to a raft of top European clubs, according to El Nacional, presumably more as a bargaining chip to improve his client’s Barcelona deal, rather than a genuine attempt to find him a new club.

Manchester United have been long-term admirers, reportedly offering €150m for the forward last summer – a bid Barca ‘flatly refused’.

But it’s Manchester City that Mendes has supposedly held talks with, though Pep Guardiola would rather he didn’t.

The City boss has reportedly told director of football Txiki Begiristain not to enter into talks with Mendes as he essentially doesn’t want to f*** over his former club.