It has been well-reported that Liverpool are gearing up to make several decisive moves in the transfer market to follow their pending Premier League title.
Arne Slot has confounded Liverpool detractors with his debut season at the helm with the Reds nine points clear of Arsenal even despite losing 3-2 to Fulham at the weekend.
But despite the potential for Liverpool to host the first city parade for a league title celebration in over 30 years after COVID-19 saw them celebrate indoors during the pandemic, there is a lot of work to be done on the squad.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is destined to leave Anfield for free at the end of the season which will bring a disappointing end to a glittering career on Merseyside but there is now renewed hope that Liverpool will be able to hold onto Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk for a couple more seasons.
Regardless of how that plays out, Liverpool will be making several signings and one of them could reportedly see FSG make a club-record move to sign Florian Wirtz.
The German international has scored 15 goals and made 13 assists this season, earning him a place on almost every big club’s transfer wishlist.
Liverpool are NOT out of the race to sign Florian Wirtz but Man City and Bayern Munich are favourites
Liverpool “cannot be discounted” from the race to sign Wirtz this summer, reports Graeme Bailey for TBR Football, but Manchester City and Bayern Munich are “pushing hard” to sign him.
When asked about where the 21-year-old’s future lies, Bailey said: “A lot of people ask about Wirtz and why it seems it is only Bayern Munich and Man City that are pushing hard to sign him.
“It is true they are at the front of the queue, if he decides to leave Bayer Leverkusen this summer and that ‘if’ remains the key – as we have reported in the last few weeks, we don’t know what he is thinking – does he sign a new deal and stay for another 12-months, or leave?”
Bayern extremely keen to sign Wirtz amid a strong 2024/25 showing
Bailey continued, paying particular respect to Bayern’s interest in the Bundesliga phenomenon. Bayern have always made a point of trying to keep top German talents in the country but they will need to make a very tempting offer to compete with the rest of Europe.
Bailey said: “Bayern have had a wonderful 2025 when it comes to their playing staff – their chiefs Max Eberl and Christoph Freund have managed to seal new deals for Alphonso Davies, Joshua Kimmich and Jamal Musiala, when at the turn of the year – the future of all three looked in some doubt.
“Eberl and Freund received major criticism last summer when their hunt for a new head coach saw them scrambling around before they finally landed in Vincent Kompany, who has proved a success.
“Now they have the full trust at the club and they are working hard on this summer’s potential arrivals and the player at he top of their list is Wirtz – he is widely regarded as the best player for his age in Europe, he really is up there with the likes of Jude Bellingham, Pedri, Gavi etc when it comes to talent.”
Premier League interest remains alive and well – Liverpool “at least have the conversation”
Liverpool and the rest of the Premier League’s elite will not be far from the conversation that is evolving around Wirtz but Slot may have the trump card given that the Reds are not only on course to win the league this season but also showed Wirtz first-hand how good they can be when Liverpool beat Leverkusen 2-0 in the Champions League table phase.
On the rest of the clubs interested in Wirtz, Bailey said: “Man City love him, as we know, and they are doing everything they can to persuade.
“And whilst Bayern and City have done the most work to this point, I am told not to totally discount others, especially in just making an offer – if you are Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool or even Real Madrid – who all like him – why wouldn’t you at least have the conversation?”
Wirtz could also solve the “Trent Alexander-Arnold problem”
If it’s true that he’s worth £87million to Bayer Leverkusen – only £2m more than the fee paid for Darwin Nunez – then Liverpool need to act like the powerhouse they are and make a move for him.
Adding to that, Liverpool – in losing Alexander-Arnold – are shedding approximately £180,000-a-week from their wage bill. Wirtz current makes around £75,000 per week and is currently the seventh highest-paid player at Leverkusen.
Liverpool would replace Trent Alexander-Arnold’s creative presence and alleviate the pressure on whoever plays at right back next season – Conor Bradley or a new signing or both – in one fell swoop.