Chelsea transfer news: Borussia Dortmund could sign Timo Werner to replace Erling Haaland

Borussia Dortmund was always destined to be a stepping stone in Erling Haaland’s career and the club are busy making plans for his departure.

According to SportBild, they have drawn up a shortlist of four potential replacements for the Norwegian goal machine, which includes Chelsea’s Timo Werner.

The arrival of Romelu Lukaku, for a club-record fee of £97.5million, has pushed Werner down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge and he’s believed to be contemplating his future.

Dortmund are interested in offering Werner the chance to reinvigorate his career back in the Bundesliga, where he was exceptional for RB Leipzig.

The 25-year-old would have to accept a pay cut to join Marco Rose’s side but the chance to topple a dominant Bayern Munich could appeal.

He would be the focal point of a talented team boasting young stars like Jude Bellingham, Donyell Malen and Giovanni Reyna.

Haaland currently occupies that role to great effect, scoring 66 goals in 66 appearances for the club, but will surely be moving on at the end of the season.

Dortmund have three other strikers on their shortlist to replace Haaland – Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez, Borussia Monchengladbach’s Marcus Thuram and Torino’s Andrea Belotti.

Werner’s electric pace and proven track record in the Bundesliga could make him the leading candidate.

There were high expectations when the German international signed for Chelsea last summer, but his confidence suffered during a long run of games without a goal, leading Thomas Tuchel to explore other options.

His side were creating plenty of chances and just needed a clinical finisher to convert them, as Lukaku has shown with four goals in four games so far.