Florian Wirtz, the Bayer Leverkusen attacking midfielder, is of interest to Liverpool, and Bayern Munich seemingly believes that he could be heading for the Premier League.
If Liverpool does manage to strike a deal for Wirtz, it will be for a record transfer fee. Often, new signings choose a squad number that means something to them, though Alexis Mac Allister wears his current number, No. 10.
Liverpool currently has both No. 23 and No. 27 available for Wirtz, should he make the move to Anfield. Both numbers hold significance for Wirtz, having been worn by him during his stint at the BayArena, with No. 23 being his number when he played for the club’s Under-19s.
Following a successful stint with the academy, Wirtz was swiftly promoted to the first team and donned the No. 27 shirt for four years before being assigned his current squad number (No. 10) in 2023.
Liverpool also has the numbers six, 12, 13, 15, and 16 up for grabs for new signings, while others could potentially be freed up if certain squad members were to depart Anfield this summer.
Naturally, the No. 23 shirt holds a special place in Liverpool’s history, having been previously worn by Jamie Carragher, as well as Robbie Fowler prior to his No. 9 days. Divock Origi was the last player to wear the No. 27.
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According to The Athletic, Wirtz is “on track” to make the move to Liverpool this summer. The 22-year-old Germany international is claimed to have made a visit to England to search for properties to live in.
This season, Wirtz has scored 16 goals and assisted another 15 for Leverkusen. Last year, he was a key man under Xabi Alonso as Leverkusen went a whole league season unbeaten.
Bayer Leverkusen has always preferred to sell abroad rather than to a direct rival in the German top flight. Bayern Munich won the title back this season, finishing one place and 13 points ahead of Alonso’s men.
Bayern Munich icon Stefan Effenberg took a swipe at Wirtz for his hesitation in deciding his future earlier this week, piling the pressure on the young talent. He said that the Bayer Leverkusen star was behaving in an “undignified” manner.
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“He has already won everything in Germany,” Effenberg wrote for t-online. “However, I think it’s a shame that there has still been no official statement from the Wirtz side about the direction in which things could go.
“So all sides — clubs, fans, the public — remain in the dark for far too long. This is tiring and not appropriate to the situation.
“If Wirtz, who is supposed to have tended towards Bayern, now suddenly changes his mind again, that would also be a very bad sign. Because that would make it clear that he himself doesn’t really know what he actually wants.”
Liverpool.com says: Wirtz would be an absolute game-changer for the Reds. He is a world-class star who would improve any team in the world. If it gets done, it would be the most exciting transfer Liverpool has made in some time.
