Real Madrid and Barcelona Reportedly Ready to Battle for Timo Werner Transfer

Real Madrid and Barcelona are reportedly set to fight it out for the signing of RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner.

According to Mundo Deportivo (h/t Dan Ripley of the MailOnline), the two clubs have been impressed with the Germany international since he joined Leipzig from Stuttgart in the summer of 2016.

In the report it's suggested Barcelona's sporting director, Robert Fernandez, has been keeping a close eye on Werner's development, with the club scouting the forward this season. Paco Alcacer, the current backup to Luis Suarez, is reported to have an uncertain future at the Camp Nou after struggling since arriving.

Madrid, meanwhile, are said to be on the hunt for a replacement for Alvaro Morata, who joined Chelsea in the summer.

As Ripley noted, Liverpool have also been linked with the 21-year-old; the Reds are set to sign Werner's RB Leipzig team-mate, Naby Keita, next summer.

The striker enjoyed an exceptional debut season with his new club in 2016-17, netting 21 times in total and helping RB Leipzig to a runners-up finish in the German top flight. Per the Champions League Twitter account, he's been prolific this season too:

If he continues this type of form, it'll be no shock to see some of Europe's biggest clubs go after him.

As the aforementioned numbers illustrate, the Germany international is a wonderful finisher and so composed in the final third. But there's plenty more to his game than finding the back of the net; he's technically gifted, is quick and makes intelligent movements around the penalty area.

Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

Evidently, having excelled on every stage he's stepped on to, Werner is of the right type of temperament too. The Bundesliga's Alex Chaffer added:

To lead the line for Barcelona or Real Madrid, you need to be an extra-special player. And both clubs will likely be after another centre-forward in upcoming transfer windows.

After all, Suarez at Barca and Karim Benzema at Real Madrid are the current No. 9s for each side, though they have little competition. While Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are both capable of playing at the point of the attack, they're both better utilised in other areas of the field.

Werner, with his infectious determination and goalscoring pedigree, would potentially enliven both attacks. Given the clubs that have been credited with an interest in the RB Leipzig man, expect even more focus to fall on the shoulders of one of European football's rising stars this season.