Tottenham have signed the RB Leipzig forward Timo Werner on loan until the end of the season. Spurs have the option to make the deal permanent in the summer.

Werner returns to the Premier League having scored 23 goals in 89 appearances for Chelsea between 2020 and 2022.

Related: Brighton set to sign teenager Valentín Barco from Boca Juniors

“The manager straight away gave me the feeling that I needed to join the club, and the way the team plays fits me perfectly,” the Germany international said of the Tottenham manager, Ange Postecoglou.

“I hope I can be the best player I can be here. I can play every position in attack. When I left the Premier League I missed it because it is the best league in the world. When I joined my old club, I said I wanted to be a winner and in the end we won the Champions League, so it should not be too bad to say I come here to win titles.”

Werner left Chelsea two years ago to return to his former club Leipzig in a £25m switch. He scored 16 times last season but opportunities have been limited under the manager, Marco Rose, this term with only four starts in all competitions. He is in line to make his Tottenham debut away at Manchester United this weekend and could extend his stay in N17 if the temporary switch proves to be a success. An option to make the transfer permanent for a fee between €15m and €20m has been included in the deal.

Postecoglou is keen to complete moves early this month as he seeks to drive his project forward and is hopeful of sealing a deal to sign Genoa’s Radu Dragusin in the coming days. Spurs are understood to have offered around £20m but face competition from Bayern Munich for the Romania defender. Djed Spence could head in the other direction after being offered to Genoa on a six-month loan.

Spurs have lost Son Heung-min, their captain and top scorer, to the Asian Cup for at least a month and Alejo Véliz is struggling with a knee injury.