San Jose Earthquakes complete transfer of German international Timo Werner on high-profile Designated Player deal

Timo Werner has signed for Major League Soccer's San Jose Earthquakes, the club announced Thursday. The German international, who has 115 career goals, had fallen out of favor at RB Leipzig, but joins the Western Conference franchise on a multi-year deal. He will be a Designated Player for the rebuilding Quakes, who have had a busy offseason under Head Coach and Sporting Director Bruce Arena.

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Lofty expectations
Werner is, no doubt, the highest-profile signing in club history. While Josef Martinez arrived in January 2025 with an immaculate pedigree, Werner has 57 caps for the German national team and won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021.

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RB Leipzig chapter closes
Werner has been linked with a move from RB Leipzig for some time now, after falling out of favor with the German club. The 29-year-old returned to his former club in 2022, and signed a four-year contract. Yet after an unsuccessful loan to Tottenham last year, he has settled for limited minutes after the club tried to offload him during the summer. His contract is due to expire this June, but Leipzig reportedly terminated the agreement early to facilitate the deal.
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A major signing for San Jose
His arrival is a major coup for San Jose, which needed a big signing to give their side a boost. They lost star player Cristian Espinoza earlier this window, seeing him agree to a free agent deal with Nashville after failing to reach terms on a contract extension. Werner will likely line up at striker after San Jose's previous leading striker, Chicho Arango, reportedly agreed to leave for Nacional on a one-year loan.
The club still has the flexibility to sign additional top players with its open DP and U22 slots. Last year, San Jose finished just outside of the playoffs at 10th in the West.