Liverpool would have listened to offers for Champions League hero Divock Origi this summer if the Chelsea-bound Timo Werner had ended up at Anfield instead, according to Goal.
Until precisely 5pm on Thursday afternoon, it felt only a matter of time before one of the hottest forwards in European football was posing in that famous red shirt in front of the Kop End.
And, as expected, Werner does appear to be packing his bags for England after a 31-goal season in Germany.
But in a dramatic, 11th hour twist that would make M Night Shyamalan proud, the RB Leipzig talisman is heading to West London rather than Merseyside.
Premier League rivals Chelsea have apparently snatched Werner from under Jurgen Klopp’s nose. Liverpool decided against triggering his £53 million release clause in an era of unprecedented financial uncertainty.
But the Blues, who didn’t spend a penny last year due to their transfer ban, have plenty of funds in the coffers and have decided to pay a fee that champions-in-waiting Liverpool viewed as a little rich in today’s market.
Though if there is one man at Anfield who will benefit from this surprising turn of events, it is the man who gave Liverpool their sixth European title 12 months ago.
Belgium international Origi was set to go if Werner arrived. But with the German now heading elsewhere, a modern day cult hero might just have been handed another chance to save his Liverpool career.
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