Liverpool chief executive officer Michael Edwards flew to Boston in the hope of convincing his FSG bosses to sanction a transfer move for Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz.
The Germany international has been heavily linked with a move to Anfield in recent weeks, with reports suggesting that the attacking midfielder’s price tag is set at £126m ($169m). There were disputed suggestions that the 22-year-old and his mother and father met with Reds representatives during a visit to England, while also meeting with Manchester City chiefs.
Either way, it appears that Pep Guardiola’s outfit is out of the running to secure the one-time Bundesliga champion’s signature this summer. Liverpool’s most significant competition for Wirtz’s services appears to come via Leverkusen’s domestic rivals Bayern Munich amid a two-way tussle for the highly-rated talent.
Now, it has been claimed that chief executive officer Edwards made the trip across the Atlantic as he looked to secure the assent of his bosses in Boston for the sanctioning of the deal.
With a major battle now on to convince the player to commit his future to the Anfield club, it remains to be seen whether Edwards was successful in his undertaking.
The report from CFBayernInsider claimed a group of Liverpool officials – led by Edwards – flew to Boston to meet with senior chiefs from FSG about a possible move for Wirtz.
(Image: Jörg Schüler/Bayer 04 Leverkusen via Getty Images)
The meeting was apparently impulsive, and came about as a result of a meeting with Wirtz’s family, which gave them the feeling they could beat Bayern to the signing of the young attacker.
Funds are said to be available for such a lucrative transfer – one City backed away from due to money – because of the moves already made to extend Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah’s contracts, meaning a huge squad rebuild isn’t needed.
Wirtz’s outbound manager Xabi Alonso did address whether he expects the midfielder to move to Bayern Munich this summer prior to the emergence of Liverpool in the hunt. He said: “Florian Wirtz didn’t tell me that he only wants to go to Bayern… this is not my information.
(Image: Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Leverkusen midfielder Robert Andrich appeared to warn his younger colleague against a move to rivals Bayern, saying: “Yes, of course there are a few comments along those lines.
“I hope he doesn’t leave, especially not to Bayern, because that would make them significantly stronger.
“But fundamentally, Flo is already very clear in his perception and his mind, and he also has a very good environment. So no matter what he ends up doing, he’ll have thought it through thoroughly. It would be best, of course, if he stayed with us.”
Wading into the saga surrounding the Germany international’s future, Bayern legend Uli Hoeness also hit out at the media for its coverage. He controversially stated: “What can I tell you now?
“You’ve been writing nonsense for weeks about him going to Manchester City, even though he was at Liverpool. We’ll provide you with facts at some point, not more speculation!”
