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The San Jose Earthquakes are nearing a deal to sign German forward Timo Werner from RB Leipzig, sources briefed on the potential transfer tell The Athletic.
Once completed, Werner would join as a new designated player for the Quakes. The 29-year-old has 57 caps with the German national team, all between 2017-23, scoring 24 goals in that time. He almost joined Leipzig’s MLS sister club, the New York Red Bulls, in the summer but ultimately a deal never got done. Now, he appears set to head to MLS with the Quakes as their new marquee attacker – and he’ll arrive in need of a fresh start.
Werner has only played 13 minutes in the Bundesliga for Leipzig this season, after the club told him in the summer he was not in its plans. He spent the previous 18 months on loan at Tottenham, where he had three goals and seven assists in all competitions.
Werner starred in the Bundesliga for years, breaking through with Stuttgart but exploding with Leipzig, where he had 113 goals and 47 assists in 216 appearances. He also played in the Premier League with Chelsea before returning to Leipzig for a second stint in 2022.
Among the trophy haul during his career, Werner has won the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League (Chelsea), 2024-25 UEFA Europa League (Tottenham) and the 2022-23 DFB-Pokal (Leipzig). He was named to the Bundesliga Team of the Season in 2019-20.
Werner would lead a new-look attack for Bruce Arena’s San Jose alongside with Chicho Arango, with Josef MartÃnez having departed for Tijuana. Even with Werner, the Earthquakes would still have another DP spot to use as they look to get back into the postseason.