Uli Hoeneß vetoed Bayern Munich’s plans to sign Germany star in 2022

Bayern Munich wanted to bring in Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen in 2022, but the plan was reportedly vetoed by Uli Hoeneß.

Florian Wirtz was one of the top performers in the Bundesliga last season and also won the league’s player of the year award after helping Bayer Leverkusen win the Meisterschale. But he could have been playing for Bayern Munich if the sporting bosses at the club had their way in 2022.

According to the latest edition of SportBILD, (now former) Bayern Munich sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic, technical director Marco Neppe and head coach Julian Nagelsmann presented Uli Hoeneß with a proposal to sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen in 2022 as they needed the approval of the club’s supervisory board.

The plan was to sign Wirtz for a relatively cheaper fee for a player of his potential as he had just recently suffered an anterior cruciate ligament tear.

But the honorary president of FC Bayern vetoed the move for Wirtz, citing the signing of Lucas Hernández, who had been forced to deal with a similarly serious knee injury, and struggled with several other injuries after that.

Wirtz ended up staying at Bayer Leverkusen and made his return to action in January 2023. He established himself as a crucial player for Xabi Alonso’s side last season as they won the domestic double.

Bayern Munich are still interested in signing Florian Wirtz, who could leave Bayer Leverkusen in 2025. But they are set to face competition from the likes of Manchester City and Real Madrid in the race for his signature next summer.