Liverpool have reportedly been preparing to make a final bid for Bayer Leverkusen striker Florian Wirtz, after a £113m bid was rejected. Wirtz is currently on international duty with the German national team. He played from the start in the Nations League match for third and fourth place on Sunday afternoon against France. France won 0 – 2.
Liverpool fans will undoubtedly be following the game to catch a glimpse of the playmaker, who is said to be the club’s main target in the summer transfer window.
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But the Reds from Merseyside have already made two club-record offers – both of over £100 million – and both were rejected by Leverkusen.
According to The Daily Mail, Liverpool will be able to bring Wirtz to Anfield if they match the club’s £118 million valuation, which is less than their original £126 million demand.
If Liverpool give in to Leverkusen’s demands, they will set a new transfer record for a British club, beating Chelsea’s £115 million payment for Moisés Caicedo from Brighton & Hove Albion in 2023.
There are concerns that such a large sum could have negative consequences for the club if the 22-year-old Wirtz struggles to adjust to life in England.
Darwin Núñez is currently Liverpool’s most expensive signing – the Uruguayan was bought from Benfica for a sum that could potentially rise to £85 million in 2022 – and he has undoubtedly not lived up to expectations.
Many supporters may want to sell the striker, but he is still at the club, and Liverpool have not signed a new striker since his arrival.
Other clubs, such as Manchester City, are more likely to replace expensive signings – Jack Grealish, for example, is a candidate to be left out of the squad for the Club World Cup.
Wirtz could help fill the creative gap left by Trent Alexander-Arnold, but Liverpool’s ability to spend money in future transfer windows could be affected by how much they pay for the Leverkusen star.
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Perhaps the transfer would be less risky if Liverpool manage to raise money through the sale of players like Luis Díaz – but it remains to be seen whether clubs like Barcelona have the finances to sign him from Anfield.
