Florian Wirtz's imminent transfer to Liverpool has been labelled a "real shame" by Borussia Dortmund chief Hans-Joachim Watzke. The Reds have struck a £116million deal with Bayer Leverkusen for the superstar, who is due to fly to the UK for his medical later this week.
The agreement, which includes an upfront payment of £100m and a further £16min add-ons, will set a new British transfer record if all bonuses are met. Both Manchester City and Bayern Munich had shown interest in the 22-year-old. City saw Wirtz as a potential successor to Kevin De Bruyne but withdrew due to financial constraints, opting instead to spend £46.3m on Tijjani Reijnders and £34m on Rayan Cherki.
Bayern lost out on Wirtz after he was persuaded to join Liverpool by head coach Arne Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes. However, Watzke expressed disappointment at losing one of Germany's top talents from the Bundesliga, stating he would have preferred Wirtz to join Bayern.
Speaking to Kicker, Watzke said: "It's a real shame, especially for the DFL (German Football League), that a player like Florian Wirtz is disappearing from the Bundesliga. I wouldn't have had a problem at all if he had gone to FC Bayern."
Bayern midfielder Joshua Kimmich has also voiced his concerns following the club's missed opportunity to sign talent Wirtz. The team faces a dearth of forward options with Leroy Sane's move to Galatasaray and Thomas Muller's impending departure upon his contract expiry.
Kimmich shared his thoughts: "You'll have to ask the club what their plans are."
After Bayern's sporting director Max Eberl admitted they couldn't compete financially with Liverpool for Wirtz, Kimmich added: "Of course, you have the feeling that we could do something – with Flo (Wirtz) not coming, with Leroy leaving, with Thomas leaving.
"I was surprised that (Sane) is going to Turkey. I didn't expect that. But it's his decision and he'll have his reasons for it."
Eberl also commented on Bayern's financial prudence and squad focus: "I am sure that we will have a competitive team - and that we will also have the finances under control.
"If I'm honest, I don't know if we could have paid what Liverpool are apparently paying now. Florian Wirtz is an outstanding player. We could have imagined signing him. But when a door closes, another opens.
"The focus is on the squad we have here. We've brought along some young players, and now we've added two Germany internationals in Tom Bischof and Jonathan Tah, who have come in on free transfers. That's already a big step."