Florian Wirtz has already made it clear that he hopes to have a better legacy than one of his Germany team-mates, as Liverpool reportedly eye up the Bayer Leverkusen star
Comments
Sport
20:15, 14 May 2025
LEVERKUSEN, GERMANY - MAY 11: Florian Wirtz of Bayer 04 Leverkusen is seen during the Bundesliga match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund at BayArena on May 11, 2025 in Leverkusen, Germany. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)
Florian Wirtz has been linked with Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)
Florian Wirtz has previously explained that his mentality is to eclipse Arsenal's Kai Havertz in terms of skill, ability, and success. It is reported that the 22-year-old attacking midfielder has held talks with Liverpool regarding a big-money move this summer.
And given the success of the Reds in the Premier League this season, it could certainly hedge the club's chances of securing his services. Wirtz played his first game with Bayer Leverkusen at the age of 17 years old back in May 2020 to become the side's youngest-ever debutant.
However, he had big boots to fill in stepping up to replace Havertz, who left the Bundesliga behind to chase glory in the Premier League with Chelsea the very same year. Speaking to Sportbild about his aspirations with Leverkusen in 2021, Wirtz said: "It motivates me to be even better than Kai.
"I always want to be the best, and I hate losing. I've always been like this." These comments underline Writz's elite mentality - which has seen him become a true winner at Leverkusen - and show the kind of character Liverpool could be getting.
Despite friendly competition between the two Germans, Wirtz also said that he relied on Havertz to learn the game before his departure from the club. He added: "I watched [Havertz] in training; how he behaved in front of goal and moved in the space."
Wirtz could have the chance to go head-to-head with Havertz and Arsenal next season, with a move to Liverpool or City this summer heavily tipped. Havertz's Arsenal have proven to be Liverpool and City's biggest challengers in the title race over the last few years, but Mikel Arteta's men have come off second best every time so far.
Havertz himself is still chasing his first Premier League title, having made the move from Chelsea to Arsenal in 2023 in a £65million move.
The Gunners registered a second-place finish in the league during his maiden season in north London, and 2024/25 looks to be a similar state of affairs, with Liverpool ultimately seeing Arsenal off with four games to spare - though Havertz has been unable to influence the title race for much of the second half of the season due to injury.
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 15: Kai Havertz of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC at Emirates Stadium on January 15, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Kai Havertz has excelled with Arsenal(Image: Getty Images)
Havertz, who left Leverkusen with 77 goal involvements in 150 matches, admitted that he struggled with the 'hype' when he first burst on to the scene in Germany. He warned Wirtz he would need to block out the noise after he was being billed as the 'next Havertz' at Leverkusen.
"With me, everything happened so quickly. I just didn't understand where all the hype came from," he said. "It's hard to maintain your form as a young player. It's always up and down. You can't trust everyone who praises you after a good game any more than you can believe those who label you crap after a bad one.
"It's important to learn how to tune others out." However, Wirtz has flourished at Leverkusen and has arguably developed into a better player than Havertz, having scored an impressive 57 goals and registered 65 assists in his 196 games for the club.
LYON, FRANCE - MARCH 23: Florian Wirtz celebrates with Kai Havertz of Germany after scoring his team's first goal during the international friendly match between France and Germany at Groupama Stadium on March 23, 2024 in Lyon, France. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
Kai Havertz and Florian Wirtz have played together internationally
Despite Liverpool's success this season, Arne Slot is still looking to improve his squad as they look to defend their title and bid for more trophies next term. Signing Wirtz would certainly be a statement, especially given that City's Pep Guardiola is a huge admirer and plotting a big-money move himself.
On Wednesday, it was reported from major German media outlets Kicker and BILD that the 22-year-old had held meetings with senior Liverpool figures during a trip to England in recent days.
The German international is believed to have a hefty price tag exceeding £100m, which could prove problematic for the Reds. However, they are reported to now be in the frame for his signature, alongside Bayern Munich and City.
Reports claim he could be valued as high as £124m, while he would also demand lucrative wages. Trent Alexander-Arnold's impending departure will free up in the region of £10m per year, but as such, replacing him will be Slot's first priority, with strong rumours linking the Reds with Wirtz's teammate Jeremie Frimpong.
Liverpool, however, could have the ability to spend big due to a lack of expenditure last season, and their strong positioning with regards to PSR - while guaranteeing Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah as team-mates after fresh contracts could also appeal to fresh talent on the way in.