According to a report from Sky Sports, RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner and Bayern Munich agreed in principle to a deal earlier this summer, but when the Bavarians stalled in making it official, Werner grew tried of waiting:

According to Sky information, Bayern and Werner agreed on a transfer in principle. There was even a negotiated contract. It was only an open question of when Werner transfers to Munich. Either next year free of charge with (a bonus) for the player or even in this transfer window for a certain transfer fee. The latter was the more likely scenario.

So why did Werner sign the deal with RB Leipzig if there was an agreement in hand that would see him would move to Bayern Munich this summer or next year? Per Sky, Bayern Munich’s hesitation and Werner’s feeling that he needed to be fair to Leipzig — and also to limit a season’s worth of constant transfer rumors — pushed the 23-year-old to extend his deal with the East German club:

According to Sky information, however, the hesitation by the Bavarians caused great displeasure in the Werner camp. They had waited until the end for a signal from FCB. But why didn’t Werner just let his contract expire and wait and see what happens next summer? It was important to the national striker to remain fair to Leipzig and above all to have peace and quiet. He didn’t want an entire season of uncertainty and a certain friction between him and the club. That’s why he accepted the RB offer shortly before the deadline day, even though it had been available to him for three quarters of a year.

It has been said throughout the process that Werner favors a stable environment, which would make sense that he wanted to avoid addressing a potential exit repeatedly throughout the season. It should also be noted that Werner received a substantial raise (allegedly a salary of €7 million per year), which was likely a good incentive to sign the contract extension.

The reports on the Werner deal were not simply relegated to the “behind the scenes” dealings between the player and Bayern Munich. Per a report from Bild (as captured by tz), Werner addressed the media regarding his contract extension and sounded like he was excited to put this summer’s transfer drama behind him:

We now have new coaches and also new, better players. I think we all improved last year and I have seen that there is still a lot of potential and we can really attack this year. I wanted to be a part of it.

RB Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann is ecstatic to have the 23-year-old Germany international on his roster:

I showed him where we want to go with him and the club. He is a significant player for the club, who has an outstanding production since playing here. I showed him where I would like to make him even better.

One pundit, however, does not think that Werner’s stay in East Germany will last too long and that a move to Bavaria will eventually happen. Lothar Matthäus wrote in his Sky column that he thinks the contract helps Werner’s immediate goals today, but will not prevent Bayern Munich from pursuing him if it has interest next summer:

The responsible people in Leipzig have done a great job here and tied one of the best German offensive players in the long term. On the other hand, one could say that for the time being, a German top player has passed over Bayern again. Of course, I do not know exactly how big the interest of Bayern was, but I think he would have stood up well with the club. His speed and versatility he would have been a guaranteed reinforcement. Werner now has a fixed transfer fee and I actually would not be surprised if Bayern continues to strive for him. Obviously, the parties were not as united as they had been rumored for a long time. In my eyes, he is, and will remain, a potential Bayern transfer.

Finally, the rumored release clause is still a hotly debated issue as well with kicker (€30 million) and Bild (€60 million) each having different numbers. The true number is likely somewhere in that window with a sliding scale for when Werner would make a move.