Julian Nagelsmann - the RB Leipzig head coach - refused to deny claims that Chelsea have stepped up their efforts to sign striker Timo Werner following Leipzig's 1-1 draw with SC Paderborn on Saturday afternoon.
News emerged on Thursday that Chelsea had made significant moves in their attempts to secure the 24-year-old's signature ahead of next season, with the club working hard to activate his £53million release clause ahead of it expiring on June 15, which is next Monday.
Football.london has been told that there is a "high probability" that Chelsea will activate the release clause in Werner's contract before June 15, with the hope that they can get a deal wrapped up as soon as possible.
Despite the speculation over the past few days, Werner continued to spearheaded Leipzig's forward line for their clash with SC Paderborn at the Red Bull Arena on Saturdat afternoon, as they were held to a 1-1 draw by the Bundesliga's bottom club.
Though Werner, himself, did not get on the scoresheet, he played a direct role in his side's 27th-minute opener, claiming an assist for Patrik Schick's goal.
But Paderborn were to deny Leipzig all three points deep into stoppage time, grabbing a 92nd-minute leveller through Christian Strohdiek.
After the match, as expected, Leipzig chief Nagelsmann was quizzed on Werner's future and he refused to deny that Chelsea had made significant strides in their attempts to land the striker.
"No, it didn't bother him," Nagelsmann, as quoted by Goal, said when asked if the speculation surrounding a move to Chelsea weighed heavily on his mind during the 90 minutes.
"He was very committed. He was always working out front, like [Paderborn coach] Steffen [Baumgart] said. He was on the run a lot.
"He has a total of 32 or 33 goals this season. Today he missed a few chances, but still set up Patrik [Schick]'s goal.
"I think he would have liked to score with one of his two big chances, but that has nothing to do with the hype about his person. He has known that since he was 14."
