Liverpool remain in talks with Bayer Leverkusen to sign Florian Wirtz
Bayern Munich sporting director Max Eberl says Bayern Munich wouldn’t have been able to afford what Liverpool are offering Bayer Leverkusen to sign Florian Wirtz.
The Reds have had three bids rejected for the 22-year-old in recent weeks, the latest of which was worth up to £113m.
But despite the 2024/25 Bundesliga champions standing firm on their valuation of Wirtz, Liverpool and Leverkusen remain in talks over a deal after the attacker made it clear that he wanted to join the Premier League champions instead of Bayern Munich and Manchester City.
However, even if the player had set his sights on a move to the Allianz Arena, Eberl has cast doubt on whether the Germans would have been able to finance a bid on par with Liverpool’s offers.
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Speaking to Sky Sport Germany about their unsuccessful pursuit of the Germany international, Eberl said: “If I’m being honest, I don’t know if we could have matched what Liverpool are apparently paying now.
“Florian Wirtz is an outstanding player.
“We definitely could have imagined signing him.
“But when one door closes, another one opens.”
Leverkusen had initially demanded a fee of roughly £126m for Wirtz, whom they signed from 1. FC Koln five years ago, but Liverpool have made it clear they will not meet that asking price.
By tabling a bid worth in excess of £100m, Liverpool are ready to smash the fee they paid for Darwin Nunez three years ago and make Wirtz the most expensive player in the club’s history.
Wirtz has two years remaining on his current deal with Leverkusen.
Bayern’s loss could potentially be Liverpool’s gain if a deal is done and left-back Andy Robertson is excited about the prospect of linking up Wirtz.
“He was excellent against us and causing problems, he’s a top player,” Robertson said. “I haven’t seen too much of him but I have played against him and that was enough to see that he was going to be a top player,
“We are certainly linked with him that’s for sure, you can’t miss it.
“He’s an exciting talent and if we get him through the door, then we’ll be excited to play with him.”
