Liverpool have begun talks with Bayer Leverkusen over a £120million transfer for Florian Wirtz, but manager Arne Slot has admitted such a deal might not be possible
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Updated 07:09, 24 May 2025
MAINZ, GERMANY - MAY 17: Florian Wirtz of Bayer 04 Leverkusen looks on during the Bundesliga match between 1. FSV Mainz 05 and Bayer 04 Leverkusen at MEWA Arena on May 17, 2025 in Mainz, Germany. (Photo by Pau Barrena/Getty Images)
There are no guarantees Liverpool can land Florian Wirtz(Image: Pau Barrena/Getty Images)
Liverpool have entered negotiations with Bayer Leverkusen over the signing of Florian Wirtz – but Arne Slot has admitted they are not sure they can land him. The Reds have already agreed a deal with Leverkusen for right-back Jeremie Frimpong and have now made a bold move for Wirtz.
The 22-year-old attacking midfielder has 16 goals and 15 assists for Leverkusen this season and has been the stand-out player in the Bundesliga for two years. He had long been expected to move to Bundesliga winners Bayern Munich, but the German giants now believe he will instead join Liverpool.
Wirtz has already visited the north west of England to scout out possible places to live and is understood to be keen on the Premier League. All of these things sound promising for Liverpool, but Slot’s comments this week should temper expectations, with lots of things yet to be decided.
Leverkusen value Wirtz at £120million – a figure that put off Manchester City – and it will take a record Premier League fee for Liverpool to sign him, eclipsing the £107m Chelsea paid for Enzo Fernandez two summers ago.
The Reds are flush with cash, having signed just one player last summer, but wanting to sign players and actually signing them are two very different things, as Slot explained this week.
READ MORE: Transfer news LIVE: Liverpool learn record Wirtz price, Man Utd close to deal, Arsenal latestREAD MORE: Sky Sports confirms major Premier League changes ahead of last day of season
“City will probably strengthen the squad again. If the rumours are correct, Arsenal is planning the same, so it would be stupid if we are not looking at trying to strengthen the squad as well,” he told BBC Sport.
“Again, I've said it many times, it's not that easy because this team has already won the league. So to find players that can strengthen us – that might not be that difficult – because there are certain players in the world where I think, 'if they would come, it would be nice'.
“But they're also playing at clubs where they don't want to leave. So there are not many that can strengthen us, but the few that are out there, we will try to get them. At this moment of time we're not sure if that's possible.”
Arne Slot
Arne Slot has taken a pragmatic approach to transfers
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The fact Liverpool have already dealt with Leverkusen over a £29.5m transfer is promising, while Wirtz also seems keen to follow in the footsteps of his team-mate. He told Sports Illustrated last month that he was "definitely keen" to move on in the near future in order to "experience something new".
Liverpool have the pulling power that winning the Premier League brings and have proven to be effective operators in the transfer market in the past. However, there are no guarantees that Wirtz will leave Leverkusen, with his parents acting as his agents and keen to guard against any hasty moves.
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