Should current RB Leipzig star Timo Werner have it his way, he’ll be donning the enigmatic pink jersey of Inter Miami alongside Lionel Messi come the 2026 MLS season.
The 29-year-old 57-time Germany international is on the search for a new home after his second return to the Bundesliga side has once again failed to reap the desired return to his once prolific form.
So far this season, Werner has been a peripheral figure for Leipzig, appearing just once for a minute while making just a single further appearance on the bench. As such, the former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur attacker is on the lookout for a new home, and he is said to have his sights set on Florida.
Werner could have already moved to the MLS back in the summer, according to Bild, with another Red Bull group team, the New York Red Bulls, the most likely destination. He was said to be in favor of sticking it out at Leipzig at the time, where he pockets roughly €10 million per year.
However, with his contract set to expire in the summer of 2026, and Werner supposedly “determined to avoid being labeled ‘unemployed,’” he is looking to join an MLS side in the upcoming offseason, allowing him a full preseason before the spring kickoff for what will be the final spring through fall schedule before it begins it’s transition to the European fall through spring structure.
A move to Miami is theoretically feasible from a roster construction perspective. While each MLS team is allowed three Designated Players, whom the team can pay above the league-specified salary cap maximum, Miami is set to have one vacant spot in 2026.
Obviously, Messi occupies one of these spots at this time and will continue to do so through 2028, having recently signed a new contract extension. Currently, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba occupy the other two; however, both are slated to retire this offseason.
Summer signing Rodrigo de Paul, who initially joined on loan from Atletico Madrid, has the option to make his move permanent after this season through 2029, moving him into one of these DP spots. As for the third opening, this remains available, possibly opening the door for someone like Werner, who would command a healthy salary.
Werner would bring plenty of versatility, having played up front and on both sides of a striker, making him perhaps the ideal replacement for Luis Suarez, who has yet to commit to Miami beyond this season, while fellow usual starter Tadeo Allende’s loan deal is set to expire this offseason.
Given that Werner hasn’t been particularly prolific since leaving Leipzig for the first time in 2020 for Chelsea, where he won the UEFA Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup, the interest between him and Miami may not prove to be mutual. Should this be the case, it also appears that New York remains off the table, with newly appointed Head of Sport Julian de Guzman having recently shut down links between the two in an interview with The Athletic.
“There was always talks about (Werner),” he admitted. “We have to make sure, here in New York, it makes sense for us. It’s a great name to bring, I think fans would have loved him,” the former Canadian international said.
“The opportunity was there, but I don’t think we were 100 percent sold that this was the right thing for New York. That’s why it wasn’t something we were fully invested in. We’d rather be patient (with that DP spot).”