Report: Earthquakes near deal for German forward Timo Werner

Field Level Media|published: Mon 12th January, 20:17 2026

RB Leipzig's Timo Werner comes on as a substitute against Bayer Leverkusen on Dec. 20, 2025.

The San Jose Earthquakes are closing in on a deal to sign German forward Timo Werner from RB Leipzig, according to a report by The Athletic on Monday.

Werner, 29, would join the Quakes as a designated player and be afforded a fresh opportunity, as he has seen only 13 minutes of Bundesliga action for Leipzig this season. The Stuttgart native was close to joining Leipzig's MLS sister team, the New York Red Bulls, last summer, but the move was never finalized and he fell out of Leipzig's plans.

Werner scored 24 goals while earning 57 caps for the German national team between 2017-23. He broke into the Bundesliga with VfB Stuttgart in 2013 before first joining Leipzig in 2016, going on to score 113 goals in 216 appearances. Werner went on to play for Chelsea from 2020-22, winning the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League.

He returned to Leipzig in 2022, scoring 11 times in 38 appearances before going out on loan to Tottenham, where he tallied a pair of goals in 31 appearances.

Werner will be a welcome addition to the Quakes' attack after the departure of Josef Martinez to Tijuana. San Jose did rank seventh in MLS with 60 goals scored while going 11-15-8 last season.

The Quakes will still have one designated player spot remaining after Werner's acquisition is complete.

--Field Level Media

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