Timo Werner hints his future could be distant from Chelsea

Timo Werner has dropped a grave clue that his future may be remote from Chelseawho states that he could be happy elsewhere.

The German striker, who has not fulfilled his potential after a £47.5million move from RB Leipzig in 2020, has been linked with a move from Stamford Bridge during the current transfer window – and the arrival of another striker Raham Sterling has done little to silence the rumours.

Werner had been discussed as part of a tender juventus Defender Matthijs de Light and his future in west London are in doubt.

Timo Werner has dropped the biggest hint but his future could lie a long way from Chelsea

However, his £270,000-a-week wage can be a stumbling block for any applicant.

The 26-year-old scored the club’s first goal since Roman Abramovich but later said he had not had any discussions with manager Thomas Tuchel about where he stood.

“It’s hard to say,” he said when asked if plain language conversations were needed.

“First of all, the most important thing is that I’m happy. I’m happy when I play and score goals. That’s the fact. I should take care of that and the other things will come.’

The forward has struggled for much of his time at Chelsea and needs first-team football

When asked if he could find that happiness at Chelsea, he retorted sharply: “I could be happy anywhere.” Big things were expected of Werner, who has 53 caps for his native Germany.

However, he scored just 10 Premier League goals in two years and played in 21 top flight games last season and doesn’t know why he struggled for game time under his compatriot.

“Hard to say,” he said. “I didn’t ask, but I think the manager always has different ideas, different thoughts, of course, and what you need in different games. I think in a lot of games I wasn’t on his mind, so I’m trying to change that.” With a mid-season World Cup looming, Werner, who will be competing for his place in Germany’s squad, admitted he needs more minutes on the field.

Signings like Raheem Sterling aren’t helping the Werner case get back on the team

“It’s clear that I want to play more and I should play more to be in good shape for the World Cup first and also to have a chance to play at the World Cup,” he said. “I don’t think it changes anything whether it’s a winter World Cup or summer. I think if I play half season or all season I should play. For now, however, Werner’s focus is on Chelsea and the renewed competition brought on by Sterling’s £47.5million arrival from City.

“It’s no different than last season,” he said. “I think it was the same when Romelu (Lukaku) came here that we have big, big competition up front. It’s still the same. At a big club like Chelsea, you have that competition.

“In pre-season you can show that you want to play, that you’re a guy who wants to be in the starting XI. That’s what I’m trying to do.” Chelsea meet MLS side Charlotte on Wednesday night before concluding with a clash with Arsenal in Orlando on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Billy Gilmour and Armando Broja have left the tour.

Gilmour, who was on loan at Norwich City last season, will join Chelsea’s Under-23s in Salt Lake. The move will likely mean the 21-year-old Scotland midfielder is back on loan next season, with Tuchel enjoying an embarrassment of wealth in the middle of the park.

Conor Gallagher, who impressed at Crystal Palace last season, has returned and is ahead of Gilmour in the pecking order.

Billy Gilmour has left the first-team training squad ahead of a likely move on loan

Broja has been heavily linked with a move to West Ham and is set to return to London. The 20-year-old Slough-born Albanian striker is believed to have agreed personal terms with the Hammers, who have made a £30million bid. He spent last season on loan at Southampton, for whom he scored six goals in 32 games.

“It’s never easy and I didn’t like doing it because everyone deserved to stay in the squad, but we already had a very large squad and then players came up,” said Tuchel.

“It’s a very difficult decision because nobody deserves to go. In the end we had to make the decision to keep the quality of training high, so we went for a maximum of 24 players and therefore went down a bit.’

Broja has flown back to England from Chelsea’s pre-season tour in the US as he remains linked with West Ham