Florian Wirtz might be reportedly edging closer to a Liverpool move, but he’ll be dealt an immediate blow should he sign on the dotted line at Anfield. The Merseyside outfit have emerged as the surprise front-runners after it was claimed that Bayern Munich were told they’re no longer in the running.
Bayern no longer believe Wirtz will sign for them and given that fellow suitors Manchester City were said to have pulled out of the race earlier this week, it’s opened the door to a Liverpool move. It would mark a statement signing for the Premier League champions, as Arne Slot and co. look to build on this season’s achievements.
But while the Reds faithful will be rejoicing at the news, Wirtz himself will have to deal with the fact that his preferred shirt number won’t be available upon his arrival at Liverpool. For the past two seasons, the 22-year-old has donned the No.10 at Bayer Leverkusen - a number that is currently taken by Liverpool ace Alexis Mac Allister.
There could be a workaround though, given Wirtz previously wore the No.27 at Leverkusen before he was handed the No.10 shirt. Given no player in the Liverpool squad currently has the No.27, should he be blocked from taking No.10, that could prove the next best thing for the talented playmaker.
There’s still plenty of work to do on the negotiation front for Liverpool, if they’re to land Wirtz later this year, with a fee yet to be agreed with Leverkusen. But Slot believes it would take a special player to improve his current options in the Liverpool squad.
On the prospect of adding fresh faces to his squad, the Dutchman said last week: "I've said many times already that we, as a club, are very happy with the players we've got.
"Part of it is our decision but in some situations players that haven't played a lot are not looking forward to another season not playing a lot. So, there's always an ongoing process and we have to make sure that we are prepared if we can strengthen the squad.
"But it's difficult to strengthen this squad. There's a reason why we won the league - because we have so many great players. It's an ongoing process, what we are talking about. I think this club has shown so many times in the past that they will make the right decisions.”