Skip to main content

Liverpool Echo

Liverpool have Florian Wirtz bargaining chip to help beat Bayern Munich in £125m transfer battle

Latest Liverpool transfer news as Bayer Leverkusen interest in one Reds star could be an advantage in the race for Florian Wirtz

Florian Wirtz
Florian Wirtz(Image: (Jörg Schüler/Bayer 04 Leverkusen via Getty Images))

If Liverpool are serious about signing Florian Wirtz, they are going to have to do all in their power to topple Bayern Munich. To that end, a new advantage has emerged in the race to sign the Bayer Leverkusen midfielder.

As things stand, the ECHO reported last week that Liverpool have presented their interest and are ready to pounce if this is reciprocated, and in what would be a major boost David Ornstein of The Athletic has claimed that Bayern Munich believe the player prefers the switch to Anfield over the Allianz Arena. Reportedly worth £125m or possibly more, it is not only one of the most expensive battles of the summer but of all-time, so the Reds may need all the help they can get to ensure it is they who reach the agreement first.


Liverpool are already going to have settled one piece of negotiation with Leverkusen by the time Wirtz announces his intentions. Wing-back Jeremie Frimpong has completed a medical ahead of moving to Anfield in a deal worth his £30m release clause.


READ MORE: Celebrate Liverpool's Premier League trophy lift and iconic parade with perfect souvenirREAD MORE: Carragher and Neville clash again in Liverpool or Man United debate - 'Arrogance is unbelievable'

Wirtz would require a more complex set of club-to-club talks, as a fee would need to be negotiated, then as it turns out there is a third factor that could sweeten the deal.

According to Fussball Transfers, the Reds' Harvey Elliott is one player on the German club's radar looking ahead to the upcoming window. If Wirtz were to leave, a new No.10 would be a big priority.

Elliott, 22, plays the position but hasn't been able to stamp down his authority in Arne Slot's plans this term, making 27 appearances but 21 of those have been as a substitute.

Article continues below

Speculation has been rife about the young Englishman's future as a result, and this was addressed after opening the scoring against Brighton last time out.

"I think I've [shown what I can do] this season. It's been hard with how much I've played. I've tried as hard as I could and whatever happens, happens.

"It's football at the end of the day and in my opinion, I just need to do what's best for my career," he admitted, hinting that his future could lie elsewhere.

Article continues below

So in Wirtz, Slot would get the No.10 he desires to take Liverpool to the next stage of their progression and on the flipside, Leverkusen would receive a straight replacement.

Player-plus-cash deals are hardly uncommon in football, though neither are separate transfers between the same two clubs in order to help clubs comply with Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) rules.

Should Leverkusen decide to firm up their reported interest in Elliott, it could work in Liverpool's favour.

Follow Liverpool Echo:


Liverpool FCLiverpool FC transfer newsFlorian WirtzHarvey Elliott
reach logo

At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the "Do Not Sell or Share my Data" button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.