Liverpool would be making a major statement if it could snap up Bayer Leverkusen attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz this summer, according to former Reds ace Danny Murphy.
The soccer pundit believes his old side’s move for Wirtz proves that Arne Slot already has an elite-level roster of players. With a price tag well north of $100M, Wirtz is not going to come cheap, but Liverpool is in a position to focus on quality rather than quantity.
Earlier in the week, it was anticipated that Bayern Munich was the favorite to sign Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen. But Liverpool.com understands that the Reds have now made initial contact with the Bundesliga side, with widespread reports in Germany suggesting that the 22-year-old has indicated he would prefer a move to England.
“If Florian Wirtz doesn’t excite you, you don’t like football!” Murphy told Liverpool.com. “This lad plays free. He has got this wonderful belief in himself, great feet, and his vision — sometimes he sees passes that are like ‘Woah’.
“He is a super talent. I’m a little surprised to hear Liverpool get linked because of the fee but obviously one or two might go out and Liverpool didn’t spend last year.
“In terms of quality, how can he not improve you? His actual work off the ball to win possession back, he is one of the highest in the Bundesliga this season with winning the ball back in the opposition defensive third.
(Image: Pau Barrena/Getty Images)
“That is something you have to be good at playing for Liverpool, and he is. People like Dominik Szoboszlai in that role because of the physicality but he can do that in a different way.
“I think most Liverpool fans are trying not to get too excited about it because it would be a statement signing. That is a signing that says the club want to be at the top and they want to kick on.”
Having already wrapped up the Premier League title, Liverpool has been working on deals for the summer for some time. Sporting director Richard Hughes is expected to be much busier in 2025 than he was in his first transfer window at the helm.
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“There is not a club in Europe that wouldn’t want Wirtz, so I’m trying to suppress my excitement in case it doesn’t happen!” Murphy, speaking on behalf of talkSPORT Bet, continued.
“It shows a little bit of a mindset change and also maybe a little bit of satisfaction in the majority of the squad that they could plough so much money into one player, because they have so much quality elsewhere.
“I still think Darwin Nunez will go and they will probably need to bring in a striker. You can’t just rely on three like back in the day when it was Mane, Salah and Bobby; that was unheard of.
“But I think Wirtz would be the first signing in a long time where other clubs would turn their head and say ‘We need to act’. That would make Liverpool even better.”
