Florian Wirtz reinvented football’s No.10 role and now set for record Liverpool transfer after ‘secret meeting’

Liverpool’s club-record move for Florian Wirtz has been as targeted as the pressing from the German that makes him unique in Europe.

talkSPORT understands that Bayer Leverkusen have rejected Liverpool’s £109million bid for the German, but a deal remains close.

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Personal terms have already been agreed between both parties, with the 22-year-old only having eyes on a switch to Merseyside.

The Bundesliga club are believed to be still demanding £126m, which would smash the British transfer record.

Bundesliga expert Kevin Hatchard told talkSPORT: “He’s right up there with anybody in the Bundesliga this season in terms of winning challenges.

“So he will press like a demon, and that’s going to be really important for Liverpool. We’ve seen that work, right? We’ve seen how important it is, and he understands it.

“He doesn’t just run like a madman under Xabi Alonso. It’s very targeted. It’s very, you know, you’ve got to get your angles of press, right? You’ve got to go at the right time.

“So he gets it. He understands all that. And then you look at how he delivers. So double figures, goals and assists in the league this season, double figures, goals and assists in the league last season, unbeaten league and cup double for the first time in German history last season.

“He was a huge part of that. The kid is 22. There’s a lot to like.”

Wirtz’s signing would represent the first major statement from Liverpool’s chief executive of football, Michael Edwards, since his return to the club in 2024.

It was during his first tenure as sporting director that Edwards started tracking the playmaker when he was still in FC Koln’s youth setup in 2020.

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Although a deal didn’t materialise, that groundwork ultimately proved invaluable when the race for his signature emerged this year.

Liverpool faced stern competition for one of the world’s most feared attackers, not least from Bayern Munich and Manchester City.

Pep Guardiola is a huge fan of the versatile attacker, while Bayern were confident he would leave Leverkusen for the Allianz.

According to the Munich-based newspaper Süddeutscher Zeitung, Bayern’s top brass were sent in to try to get the deal done.

However, during a ‘secret meeting’ at a Munich hotel, Wirtz was said to have been left unconvinced by Vincent Kompany’s charm offensive, with his favoured No.10 role occupied by Jamal Musiala.

In contrast, Liverpool head coach Arne Slot apparently outlined a more coherent plan to build the future of his attack around him.

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While Liverpool’s owners, FSG, are known for their Moneyball-style, they have also been known to break the bank for genuine gamechangers.

Goalkeeper Alisson Becker and captain Virgil van Dijk are both proof of that, with Wirtz backed to represent the same level of value.

Liverpool’s current holder of the No.10 shirt is Alexis Mac Allister, but they haven’t had a player to fit the role since Philippe Coutinho.

Dominik Szoboszlai has been transitioning into a No.8, with Wirtz, who is also capable of operating on the left wing and as a false striker, the man earmarked to keep the iconic positive alive at Anfield.

Devin Ozek – who left his role as executive CEO assistant at Leverkusen earlier this year – told Sky Sports: “He’s an unbelievably intelligent player, to understand spaces between the lines, creating chances, an advanced playmaker.

“But if we talk about Florian Wirtz, we have to give a lot of credit to [Leverkusen director of sport] Simon Rolfes, because he did a big job in signing him.

“He believed from the first moment in him and also [chief executive] Fernando Carro, both are responsible for this signing.

“And for me, it’s one of the best signings in the Bundesliga history. He’s in the top category.”

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It’s a big claim, but one that the stats back up.

Wirtz has made 196 senior appearances for Leverkusen, scoring 57 times and setting up a further 65, which is more than a goal contribution per two matches.

What makes these statistics even more impressive is that in 2022, he was ruled out for nearly a year through a devastating injury.

However, Wirtz hasn’t shown any lingering effects of the issue that has ruined the careers of many elite stars.

Since coming back from that injury, he’s helped Leverkusen to an unbeaten domestic German double in the 2023/24 season.

While Leverkusen failed to defend either title this year, Wirtz has still retained his title as the Bundesliga player of the year.

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Across Europe’s ‘big four’ leagues (Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga in Spain and Italy’s Serie A) this season, only Man City’s Jeremy Doku (32.7) has attempted more passes within the attacking third than his 32.4 per 90 minutes.

“What I do is mostly very spontaneous because it appears to be the best solution in that situation,” Wirtz told Werkself Magazin.

“But sometimes I suspect or know beforehand what the opponent will do, and then it’s easier to do my own tricks because I can see how the opponents move and when they’ll dive in.

“It’s one of my strengths that sometimes I know in advance what will happen — and then I can concentrate on the solution, so that I anticipate the situation and create an advantage.

“I’ve learned to watch what the others do and then make the best decision.

“You always have to be prepared to learn if you want to become a better player.”

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Unsurprisingly, his manager, Xabi Alonso, is a huge fan, saying in a press conference last month: “Flo is one of the top players in the world.

“He is world-class. Flo has a very mature mind. The people around him, his parents, they want the best for him.

“They are in a very important moment of his career.

“Whatever he does, I am really close to Flo, and I will be happy for him.”

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“As a player, he’s brilliant,” said Bayer Leverkusen’s Nathan Tella during an exclusive interview with talkSPORT.

“You know, I’ve worked with him for the last two years, and it’s like each day I could just see this guy is unbelievable.

“It’s no surprise he has a lot of interest in him because he’s a brilliant player, but we trust that the club will make the right decision, he’ll make the right decision.

“And as a friend, I hope he’s also happy with whatever decision he makes, but we will support him regardless.”