Bayern Munich have been planning for the summer transfer window for the last couple of months. They had started laying down the groundwork for a big-money move for Florian Wirtz. The German star has been heavily linked with a move to Bayern since the start of the season. Bayer Leverkusen are not keen on selling him to the Bavarian club. It looks like Leverkusen will get their wish.
According to The Athletic in England, Liverpool are the likely destination for Florian Wirtz this summer. The 22-year-old has held positive talks with the Premier League Champions. Liverpool have now opened negotiations with Bayer Leverkusen for Wirtz. The two clubs have been in dialogue for the last few weeks for Jeremie Frimpong, which suggests negotiations for Wirtz could go smoother for them.
This report from England has been backed by German media publications. According to Sky Sports in Germany, Wirtz has turned down a move to Bayern. He has given the nod to a move to the Premier League over joining Die Roten.
It is a massive setback for Bayern as their plans for next season heavily involved Wirtz in the team. The Bundesliga champions were confident about signing the young German star until the last few weeks, but Liverpool and Arne Slot have managed to convince Wirtz about moving to Merseyside.
Manchester City also held talks with Florian Wirtz, but they eventually dropped interest due to the finances involved in the deal. Liverpool are expected to pay a nine-figure fee, closer to €150 million, to complete the signing of Wirtz.
Bayern Munich miss out on a top talent
Liverpool winning the race for Wirtz doesn’t bode well for Bayern. The youngster would have been part of Bayern’s spine for the next decade. He has been one of the most impressive attacking players across Europe over the last two seasons. Bayern had the vision of having Wirtz and Jamal Musiala, two young German stars, in the same starting XI next season. Die Roten have consistently signed top German talent, so it looked certain that Wirtz would play for the Bavarian club.
The record Bundesliga champions have been working on this deal over the last two seasons. It will be interesting to see how Bayern Munich respond to this significant setback in the summer transfer window. They certainly have funds for making big moves, but missing out on Wirtz will hurt them.