Florian Wirtz Liverpool transfer: Bayer Leverkusen forward only wants move to Premier League champions
Liverpool have submitted an offer worth £105m for Bayer Leverkusen attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz; the Germany playmaker has emerged as a primary target for Arne Slot, but the Premier League champions face competition from Bayern Munich and Man City
Tuesday 3 June 2025 11:42, UK
Florian Wirtz only wants to join Liverpool with talks over a potential club-record deal continuing with Bayer Leverkusen.
Leverkusen want a deal which values the player at £120m. Wirtz is with the Germany squad preparing for their Nations League semi-final against Portugal in Munich.
Bayern Munich and Manchester City are also trying to sign the 22-year-old, who was among one of the Bundesliga's most impressive performers last season.
- Transfer Centre LIVE! | Liverpool news & transfers🔴
- Summer transfer window: Key dates
- Liverpool fixtures & scores | FREE Liverpool PL highlights▶️
- Get BREAKING NEWS notifications to your phone! 🔔
- Sky Sports to show 215 live PL games from next season
Wirtz, who has spent his entire senior career at Leverkusen, scored 10 goals and registered 12 assists in 25 starts as his side finished runners-up to Bayern Munich, a year on from winning a league and cup double.
The British record transfer fee currently stands at £115m, paid by Chelsea to Brighton for Moises Caicedo in 2023.
Carra: Wirtz will start straight away - a new striker is next
Jamie Carragher believes Liverpool should move onto a centre forward next after completing deals for Jeremie Frimpong, Wirtz and a new left-back.
The Reds have been strongly linked with Bournemouth's Milos Kerkez to join at left-back - and Carragher wants a centre forward next.
"Throughout the season, I was still saying that Liverpool still need five or six players," said Carragher on The Overlap.
"I think the left-back comes in and plays straight away, Frimpong will fight with Conor Bradley, Wirtz will play when he comes to the club. But I still think we need a centre forward. I think Liverpool will look to get their business done pretty early.
"Liverpool need a left-back, Andy Robertson needs help on that side and Kostas Tsimikas will be moved on. I've always felt that attacking midfield and left-back are the two areas that have jumped out to me in the last 12 to 18 months.
"Whether Wirtz comes in and plays in Szoboszlai's role or plays from the left, I don't know. But the next one is centre forward and I wouldn't be surprised if once Liverpool get these three [Frimpong, Wirtz, and the left-back] done, the next one will be a centre forward.
"As the window goes on, Liverpool will just see who they can sell and what they can do - they might bring in another midfield player or a centre-back to back up, but they'll just assess what the situation is."
Frimpong is not Trent but could flourish
Any hope of finding a like-for-like replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold was non-existent. He is a unicorn, a passing full-back like no other. But perhaps Arne Slot did not want a like-for-like replacement. Jeremie Frimpong brings different qualities.
The release clause in Frimpong's Bayer Leverkusen contract was set at £29.5m and that represents value for Liverpool. This is a 24-year-old player with a record of high achievement following his hugely successful three-season stay in the Bundesliga.
Julian Ward, Liverpool's technical director, has a mantra when it comes to recruitment. His belief is that new signings should, ideally, have had a career before their Liverpool career. Frimpong has that having been a key part of Leverkusen's double-winning side.
There will be an expectation that he can adapt quickly. While born in Amsterdam and a Netherlands international, Frimpong grew up in the North West of England - only choosing Manchester City's academy over Liverpool's for the ease of the commute.
Read Adam Bate's feature here...
Follow the transfer window on Sky Sports
The first of two summer transfer windows is upon us - and there is no better place than Sky Sports to get all the latest transfer news and rumours.
Use the Sky Sports app and website for all your updates in our dedicated Transfer Centre and Premier League club blogs, plus live Q&As with our reporters throughout the summer.
The Transfer Show returns to Sky Sports News from Sunday June 1 for the start of the pre-Club World Cup window and will then be on every weeknight at 5pm and 7pm until the deadline on Tuesday June 10.
The summer transfer window will open again on Monday June 16 until Monday September 1 - with the deadline brought forward to 7pm this year
