Liverpool is believed to have entered the race to sign Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz, and met with the player and his representatives on Tuesday.
Reports emerged on Tuesday indicating that Wirtz’s parents were in England to meet Manchester City, just days after it was widely reported that a move to Bayern Munich was all but sealed. Now, it seems like his future is very much up in the air.
German outlet Kicker claims Liverpool is interested in signing Wirtz and representatives of both parties met on Tuesday. The player was accompanied by his parents Karin and Hans, who also act as his advisors, after arriving in England via a private jet.
Kicker adds Leverkusen value Wirtz at €150 million, with a battle now expected to secure the German international’s signature, one Real Madrid could join as well, particularly given manager Xabi Alonso is set to join Los Blancos.
Meanwhile, Bild also claims Wirtz met with Liverpool in Blackpool on Tuesday, before flying on to Manchester. It’s not clear it talks did indeed take place with City.
Arne Slot is said to be an admirer of the 22-year-old, while Bild adds that concrete talks have begun.
Munich-based Suddeutsche Zeitung claims the Wirtz family were on a “secret one-day mission” to England and did not meet with Pep Guardiola. Instead, they met with representatives of Liverpool.
(Image: Getty)
Wirtz is seen as one of the hottest prospects on the market, and interest has peaked this summer given he has just two years remaining on his contract at Leverkusen.
Liverpool was linked with Wirtz last season, but that speculation ultimately led to nothing, as he remained at Leverkusen and helped guide the club to the Bundesliga title.
He has made 44 appearances this season, scoring 16 and providing 15 assists. Wirtz has mainly operated as an attacking midfielder or No. 10, but has also played up front at times.
It comes as Liverpool is linked with Wirtz’s club teammate Jeremie Frimpong, who could offer a long-term replacement for right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Leverkusen is set to end this season without silverware after Bayern Munich reclaimed its Bundesliga title, while Alonso’s side slipped up in the cup competitions, losing to third-tier Arminia Bielefeld in the DFB-Pokal semifinal.
