Liverpool are making progress in negotiations with Bayer Leverkusen for Florian Wirtz, but a major hurdle remains as the Bundesliga club is demanding a transfer fee around £126 million.
Liverpool are said to be negotiating the possibility of including a player in the deal to help land Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz.
Bayer Leverkusen have set a steep £126 million price tag for the Germany international, which would break the British transfer record. However, Liverpool could potentially bring the cost down by offering a player or multiple players as part of the deal—a notable development, especially as other clubs have pulled out of talks due to Wirtz’s high valuation.
According to Sky Sports Germany, Leverkusen are eager to quickly finalize a deal with Liverpool for the 22-year-old, with the outcome potentially depending on the opening proposal made by CEO Michael Edwards and sporting director Richard Hughes.
Talks are also underway about a potential deal in which Liverpool would pay less than £126 million for Wirtz by including another player in the agreement to move to Leverkusen. It is still uncertain whether that player would leave on a loan or permanent basis.
Leverkusen are looking to strengthen their squad this summer by signing a goalkeeper, a central defender, possibly a striker, and a replacement for Wirtz. This opens the door for players like Caoimhin Kelleher, Joe Gomez, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota, Curtis Jones, and Harvey Elliott to be considered as part of the negotiations.
Including any of those players in the deal would likely reduce Wirtz’s transfer fee to below the £115 million Chelsea paid to sign Moises Caicedo from Brighton in 2023.
Bayern Munich president Herbert Hainer has acknowledged that Liverpool appear to be leading the race for the attacking midfielder, stating: “Max Eberl (Bayern sporting director) told me that Florian Wirtz is likely leaning towards Liverpool. I’m not sure how things will unfold with Leverkusen.”
Bayern were once seen as the frontrunners to sign the German star. According to Bild, Bayern had been quietly negotiating with Wirtz’s father, Hans-Joachim, believing the player was willing to stay in Germany for another four years.
- But on Friday, Hans-Joachim told Bayern that a deal would need to be finalized before his son’s summer break, though the club felt no urgency, expecting talks to happen for a 2026 transfer.
However, later that day, Wirtz’s father informed Eberl and Uli Hoeneß that his son had suddenly decided he preferred to join Liverpool instead of staying in Germany
