The chances of Liverpool to sign Florian Wirtz have increased considerably with the player who is now considering leaving Germany.
Wirtz is a big target in Liverpool this summer, but as recently as earlier this week they believed that he wanted to stay in Germany – either by signing for Bayern Munich or staying in Bayer Leverkusen again.
Liverpool has waited for confirmation from Wirtz that he wants to play in England before he makes a formal offer. The change of the heart of the player is seen as an important boost for the hope of Liverpool to complete a club record transfer.
Sky in Germany now believes that the player tends to move to Liverpool. They report that this display is shared by Leverkusen and Bayern Munich.
Leverkusen value 22-year-old Wirtz for € 150 million (£ 126 million), so he would cost Liverpool considerably more than the club record £ 75 million they paid Southampton for Virgil van Dijk in 2017.
Bayer Leverkusen -defender Jeremie Frimpong looks like the first through the door in Anfield this summer, after completing his medical with the club earlier this week.
But Arne Slot admits that he must also find a way to keep happy fringe players who can hardly be seen, because he has adhered to a core group of about 14 players.
“I have often said that as a club we are very happy with the players we have,” he said.
“Part of it is our decision, but in some situations players who haven't played much don't look forward to another season that doesn't play much.
“So there is always a continuous process and we must ensure that we are prepared if we can strengthen the team.
“But it's hard to strengthen this team. There is a reason why we won the competition – because we have so many great players.
“It is a continuous process that we are talking about. I think this club has shown so often in the past that they will make the right decisions.
“And this season we made the right decision not to get a player at all – except Federico Chiesa [for £10m] – And that worked very well. “
Man city cool interest in Wirtz
In the meantime, Manchester City has cooled their interest in Wirtz, Sky Sports News understands.
The city is not expected to follow their first discussions with the player and his entourage.
That is largely up to the considerable costs of a deal, which could reach no less than £ 250 million (€ 300 million), including transfer costs and wages in a long -term contract.