Florian Wirtz and the Liverpool badge
Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz is a transfer target for Liverpool (Image: Lars Baron/Getty Images)
Liverpool's big Premier League rivals Manchester City have voluntarily dropped out of contention to sign Florian Wirtz. However, there are still many questions to be answered around whether the Reds will maintain their pursuit of the attacking midfield ace or follow suit.
On the surface Pep Guardiola's side dropping out - reported to be financially motivated with wages and extras to be considered alongside a possible £125m fee - would clear some room for Liverpool to convince their target of a move. The alternative, more sinister factor, is that behind this new saga has been belief that the 22-year-old will choose to stay in Germany, possibly by signing for other competitors Bayern Munich.
It would be a huge setback for the Reds to commit time and resources to their Wirtz effort, only to have it thrown back in their face.
Here, the ECHO analyses the latest Liverpool transfer news headlines.
Wirtz state of play
In similar messages from The Times and The Telegraph following the Man City update, Liverpool intend to stay in what is now a direct 'tug of war' with Bayern Munich over Wirtz's signature.
As was the case last week when interest first came to the fore, the Reds intend to fight for the German star so long as he has not made the decision to take his career elsewhere.
As a third option, it is added that he could yet remain with Leverkusen for the 2025/26 campaign. That decision would take him into the final year of his contract at the BayArena next summer.
Frimpong message
Former Reds midfielder Joe Cole has given his verdict on Leverkusen teammate Jeremie Frimpong. The Dutch wing-back appears set to be the first summer arrival confirmed.
"I wouldn’t say Jeremie Frimpong and Trent Alexander-Arnold are the same calibre, because I think Frimpong is a fantastic footballer, but he’s still got a long journey to go if he wants to match what Trent has done in his career," was Cole's assessment for Paddy Power.
"It’s an interesting move because he has different attributes to Trent – he's an overlapper, he runs and dribbles well. He’s a winger playing full-back, really, and he’s a fantastic character.
"He suits Liverpool down to the ground, and with Mo Salah getting older as well, having legs around him is going to be even more important. I don’t expect anything less from Liverpool – it's a fantastic move."
Frimpong has flown into Liverpool already for a medical with the club expected to pay his £30m release clause.