Liverpool ‘have no intention of bidding’ €150m in order to meet Bayer Leverkusen’s asking price for Florian Wirtz this summer, according to reports.
The Reds have been very active in the summer transfer window so far after being crowned Premier League champions at the end of April.
Jeremie Frimpong has already signed from Bayer Leverkusen in a deal worth £29.5m with the Netherlands international replacing Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has moved to Real Madrid.
While a deal for Milos Kerkez doesn’t look far away as Liverpool try to negotiate a fee with Bournemouth for the Hungary international.
And their marquee signing of the summer transfer window is likely to be Wirtz, although there has been some doubt in recent days with The Athletic revealing that Liverpool and Leverkusen are struggling to agree a fee.
The Reds have ‘no intention’ of reaching Bayer Leverkusen’s €150m asking price after a new offer of €134m was launched to try and persuade the German club to accept.
READ: Mailbox: Liverpool urged to pull out of £118m Wirtz deal after ‘wild’ valuation
The Athletic claim:
‘Liverpool stepped up their pursuit of Florian Wirtz by submitting an improved offer of €134m to sign the attacker, but Bayer Leverkusen’s asking price is a reported €150m (£126.4m). Liverpool have no intention of bidding as high as that figure. Negotiations are ongoing.
‘Wirtz played in the Nations League defeat to France on Sunday. Liverpool hoped a €118.7m upfront fee with a further €15.4m in add-ons would be enough to get their man, but they are still trying to find a breakthrough.’
Manchester United legend Gary Neville has been impressed by the business that Liverpool are doing this summer with Wirtz a “fantastic” signing.
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Neville said on the US Overlap: “I think when you’re talking about winning the league, what is it that improves you?
“I mean, the only thing that’s going to improve you when you win the league is signing world-class players, or players that have got the potential to be world-class players. So signing Wirtz is fantastic.
“Frimpong and then there’s talk of Kerkez as well, deals with their right and left-back situations.
“So, to get those three done, if they were to get those three done quite quickly, would be smart business. But I wouldn’t have expected anything else from Liverpool.”
Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards also gave his verdict on Wirtz recently, he said on The Rest Is Football podcast: “Yeah, he’s worth it. Obviously, he’s got to do it in a league which is more physical. That is my only doubt. Tactically, he’s got it, technically, he’s got it.
“The way he manipulates the ball… he was a superstar from a young age, so he can deal with pressure. It’s just where does he fit into the system? Is he going to play him in [Dominik] Szoboszlai’s role, or is he going to play him out on the left-hand side? Because he can do both. And honestly, for £120 million, he’s worth every single penny.”