RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner will not join Inter Milan this summer.
This statement has come straight from the mouth of the Serie A outfit's sporting director, Piero Ausilio, in what can only be seen as a massive boost to Chelsea and head coach Frank Lampard.
"Timo Werner will not come to Inter. I know his opinion about the future of his career and I can say that we will not bring him to Inter," Ausilio said. "I love him as a player, but we never started transfer talks about him. "
Furthermore, a move for Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani - heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge in the January transfer window - has also been ruled out by Ausilio.
"It is not a priority simply because our attacking park is made up of Martinez, Lukaku and Sanchez," he added. "And above all the latter now has the possibility of demonstrate his worth and then we will evaluate what to do.
"In addition there is Esposito who is good but he is very young and we will see whether to send him to experience.
"So we would be talking about a fourth striker and it is not Cavani that we have in mind."
Whilst links to Cavani have gone quiet since the winter window closed, the Blues continue to be linked with a move for Werner.
The Germany international has been in superb form for Leipzig this season and is also said to attracting interest from Chelsea's Premier League rivals Liverpool.
And Werner has recently admitted he is likely to leave the Bundesliga when it's time to make the next step in his career.
"Bayern is a great club, we don't need to talk about it, and Hansi Flick has proven this season that he's a really good head coach," he told German publication Sport Bild via the Star. "But if a change should ever become an issue, I would rather take a step abroad than switch to Bavaria.
"It's just that the challenge in another league would appeal to me a little more than a change within the Bundesliga.
"And of course it also plays a role that the mutual appreciation should be there to the maximum.
"That's why I chose RB Leipzig at the time, and because of that, I would choose the club again in my next step, which would give me that feeling."
