The Florian Wirtz saga is starting to pick up heat as the Bundesliga season draws closer to its end.
The Bayer Leverkusen star is expected to leave the German club at the end of the season, with Man City, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid chasing the signature of the 22-year-old as he is deemed one of the brightest talents in European football.
Wirtz is a dream target for Pep Guardiola this summer as the legendary coach looks to replace the departing Kevin De Bruyne, with the Man City boss breaking his own rules when it comes to transfers as the 54-year-old has been hands-on in trying to lure the Leverkusen star to Manchester.
Man City met with the representatives of the German talent this week, however, a report out of Germany now states that a meeting was held with another Premier League club.
Photo by Pau Barrena/Getty Images
Photo by Pau Barrena/Getty Images
Liverpool have entered the race for Florian Wirtz
Man City do not plan to give up in the race for Wirtz, no matter if they fall behind Bayern Munich or any other club.
That may have now been complicated a little more as German outlet Kicker has reported that Premier League champions Liverpool have entered the race for the 22-year-old.
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It is being said that Wirtz’s representatives did not meet with Man City on Tuesday and instead held talks with officials from the Merseyside club, which would be a major blow for fans of the Manchester club who are keen to see the 22-year-old in Sky Blue next season.
The entry of Liverpool into the race will be good news for Bayer Leverkusen as the report states that they are now certain that they will receive their £126m (€150m) asking price for Wirtz, which is a number most of the interested clubs will have wanted to avoid.
Man City have already submitted a concrete offer to Bayer Leverkusen for Wirtz, while Bayern Munich are said to be planning to bid €100m for the German midfielder soon.
It remains to be seen how Liverpool will affect the transfer saga over the coming weeks, but the likelihood is that the 22-year-old moves to City or Bayern, who have been the two main contenders from the start.
Man City should not be worried about Liverpool in Florian Wirtz race
Liverpool expect Man City to bounce back next season, but their plan to stop the Manchester club from returning to the top of the Premier League is unlikely to be signing Wirtz.
There are too many reports of Man City meeting Wirtz’s representatives this week for that event not to be true, while Liverpool already have several stars that play in the German’s favourite position.
Arne Slot is a huge fan of Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister was crucial to the Reds’ success this season, while many expect Curtis Jones to take a step forward throughout the 2025/26 campaign.
Although the German star is within the age bracket Liverpool like to recruit from, the £126m transfer fee is likely to be a turn-off for the Premier League champions, as paying huge fees is not their style.
Player Transfer fee
Darwin Nunez £85m
Virgil van Dijk £75m
Alisson Becker £67m
Dominik Szoboszlai £60m
Naby Keita £52m
Liverpool’s most expensive transfers
Liverpool also have more urgent areas of the pitch they need to recruit for, such as left-back, right-back, centre-back, and a striker.
All this will likely play into Man City and Bayern Munich’s hands when the time comes for Wirtz to decide on his future.