“Christian Falk reveals intriguing news about Liverpool and £125.9m midfielder”

Florian Wirtz appears set to advance his football career in the summer of 2025, having made his ambitions “very clear.”

Christian Falk reports that the talented German international won’t come cheap; Bayer Leverkusen is expected to demand a staggering fee of £125.9m (€150m) to consider selling him next year.

Currently, Real Madrid is seen as the most likely destination. Nevertheless, interest from Premier League clubs, including Liverpool, remains a possibility.

“Florian Wirtz made it very clear that he wants to make the next step in 2025,” Falk stated in The Daily Briefing. He added, “He has a contract now until 2027, so Leverkusen want a big fee for his services – €150m. That’s a lot and obviously not every club can afford to pay this.”

Falk indicated that “the club leading the race for his signature is not an English one. It’s Real Madrid,” potentially as part of a package deal that could include Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso, should he be considered to succeed Carlo Ancelotti. Wirtz would benefit from knowing the coach well if he were to move to Madrid.

There is still a slight chance for Bayern Munich, who have maintained contact with Wirtz and his father, Hans-Joachim, who also acts as his agent. There is a strong desire for Wirtz and Jamal Musiala to play together at Bayern, but Falk suggested, “I don’t think Real Madrid would be able to buy both players, whilst Bayern can only sign one.”

Other clubs, like Manchester City, are also options, and while Liverpool has shown interest, Manchester United is not currently in the race.

Wirtz has already contributed four goals in five matches this season.

Could Liverpool meet Wirtz’s £125m asking price?

Liverpool has shown a willingness to spend significant sums on key players, having paid £75m and £85m for Virgil van Dijk and Darwin Nunez, respectively. However, such instances are not common, as demonstrated by their unsuccessful late bid for Moises Caicedo.

Still, Liverpool may have the means to enter the market for Wirtz. After missing out on Caicedo, they acquired Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo for a total of £50.4m in 2023, and spent a more modest £35m on Giorgi Mamardashvili and Federico Chiesa in the summer of 2024.

Technically, they have yet to utilize the “Caicedo money.”

Do Liverpool need to make significant investments elsewhere?

There is a case for allocating substantial funds toward a new centre-back or a potential successor to Mo Salah, depending on his contract situation. However, Richard Hughes has indicated that the club is ready to seize market opportunities.

And what better opportunity than signing one of Europe’s most sought-after attacking midfielders?

In other news, it is reported that Salah is nearing an exit from Liverpool amid interest from Saudi Arabia.