Liverpool Ahead Of Man City And Bayern For Florian Wirtz Transfer Deal

Liverpool FC moved a step closer to the signing of Florian Wirtz after beginning talks with the 22-year-old’s current club, Bayer Leverkusen.

The Premier League champion has emerged as the player’s favored destination ahead of two other interested teams, Manchester City and Bayern Munich, as work begins on structuring the deal.

The Times of London and the Athletic report that a transfer for Wirtz is in the works between Liverpool and Leverkusen, and Liverpool and the player.

Though it will take some working out, given the size of the fee, Liverpool is now in the best position of the interested teams to make it happen.

The proposed transfer fee, likely around $160 million, would be a club record transfer for Liverpool, and a Bundesliga record for an incoming fee, eclipsing Ousmane Dembélé’s 2017 transfer from Borussia Dortmund to Barcelona.

Wirtz was seen as an ideal replacement for Kevin de Bruyne at Man City, but Liverpool became the more attractive destination among the English clubs, and eventually moved ahead of Bayern Munich—a development that will also please Leverkusen fans as it means Wirtz will not be moving to a domestic rival.

With Manchester City having spent over $275 million on transfers in the past season, as well as signing star striker Erling Haaland to a new contract, a deal for Wirtz and a transfer fee of over $150 million might have been a step too far for Pep Guardiola’s side.

Premier League title winners Liverpool, meanwhile, have kept their powder dry in the transfer market throughout the past year, and have seen a couple of previous big-money targets move elsewhere, but this has now left them in a position to sign one of the best young players in the game.

It has meant there is still money available for the right player, and the club no doubt sees Wirtz as the right player at the right time, using its status as league champion to attract the coveted star.

The German international would fit nicely into what Arne Slot’s Liverpool have already been doing, and would do so in numerous areas of the team. The combination of suitability, versatility, and talent makes Wirtz an obvious target for the club at this time.

Liverpool’s go-to attacking midfielder, Dominik Szoboszlai, has played mostly from the right of midfield in an attacking position, supporting both Mohamed Salah and the striker through the middle, especially defensively.

At an LFC Foundation event on Friday night, former Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp described Szoboszlai as “the best pressing player in Europe right now.”

Wirtz, regardless of his starting position, has found himself in similar areas for Bayer Leverkusen but in the equivalent position on the left.

The 22-year-old would give Slot plenty of options. He could play in Szoboszlai’s position, and has the defensive work rate to replicate the underrated contributions the Hungarian has made off the ball.

Wirtz could also operate from the left wing, drifting into central positions and allowing the left full-back to provide the width.

Though Wirtz would be a record transfer for Liverpool, this doesn’t mean he will not have been subjected to the same recruitment methods as the signings made at the other end of the transfer fee spectrum. When spending a large fee on a player, the scouting, from all angles, will be even more thorough, leaving no stone unturned.

Versatility is something Liverpool’s recruitment operation values greatly. Signing one player who can play multiple roles can allow for more specific strengthening in other areas.

It looks like Liverpool will sign new players at both full-back positions, with Wirtz bolstering attacking midfield and forward areas.

He could even play as a central forward or as an alternative to Salah, but those attacking midfield areas will likely get the most from his talent, where he will be in positions to create as well as score.

Wirtz’s current contract runs until 2027, so Bayer Leverkusen could still get a fee for him at the end of the 2025/26 season, but that would be unlikely to match the current sum, which could reach $170 million.

Any deal would likely include instalments and add-ons, but Leverkusen will be confident of receiving such an amount should Wirtz leave this summer.

It could be argued that no player is worth such a fee, regardless of current output and potential, but these are the sums now required to acquire such players when they are still under contract. Liverpool has shown it is open to paying them at the right moment for the right player.

The two clubs will now go to work on structuring the deal, as the Premier League champions continue to build a new-look team under Slot.