EPL: Werner accepts 50% pay cut to force through Chelsea exit

Chelsea forward Timo Werner has agreed to take a 50 per cent pay cut in order to return to RB Leipzig, according to reports in Germany.

The 26-year-old has struggled to make an impact at Chelsea since moving to Stamford Bridge in a £47.5 million deal from RB Leipzig in 2020.

Werner, who has scored 23 goals in 89 appearances for Chelsea, started just 15 games in the Premier League last season and is keen to get more playing time ahead of Germany’s World Cup campaign in Qatar later this year.

According to Bild, RB Leipzig are now working on an agreement with Chelsea and are exploring the possibility of signing Werner on an initial loan deal with an option to buy.

The report claims that Werner is ready to return to Leipzig and would accept a 50 per cent pay cut in order to help push the move through.

Timo Werner has struggled to make an impact since joining Chelsea for £47.5m in 2020 (Getty)

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Werner’s current deal is worth around £275,000 a week, while the forward has also attracted interest from Juventus.

‘I hope he is coming back, he is a good player,’ Werner’s former RB Leipzig teammate Yussuf Poulsen said this week.

‘We are a team that is trying to take the next step and develop into one of the biggest clubs in Europe, you need quality players for that. We formed a good partnership in the past.’