Opinion: Liverpool is the perfect environment for Florian Wirtz to flourish. A glance at the German's career so far
Liverpool are closing in on the signing of Florian Wirtz for a reported £120 million, which would smash the British transfer record currently held by Moisés Caicedo.
Liverpool's most recent offer of £109 million was turned down by Bayer Leverkusen, with the Germans holding out for around £125 million for the German Player of the Year.
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Wirtz has spent his entire senior career at Bayer Leverkusen, playing 197 times and scoring on 57 occasions.
The 22-year-old also helped Leverkusen lift their first-ever Bundesliga title in the 2023/24 campaign, while also reaching the Europa League final and winning the DFB-Pokal in a 1–0 victory over Kaiserslautern.
This season, the creative midfielder scored 10 goals and registered 12 assists in 25 games, as his side finished runners-up to Bayern Munich.
If a deal can be struck for Wirtz, the move would make him the most expensive player of all time on Merseyside, eclipsing the £85 million spent on Darwin Núñez from Benfica in 2022 and the £75 million transfer of Virgil van Dijk from Southampton in January 2018.
The Reds have already secured their first summer signing, with Jeremie Frimpong's £29.5 million arrival to Merseyside announced on 31 May—the same day Trent Alexander-Arnold moved to Real Madrid in a £10 million deal.
Liverpool are also linked with Bournemouth's Milos Kerkez, with transfer negotiations for the full-back rumoured to begin after Wirtz's arrival.
Career so far
Rumours of Liverpool's interest in Florian Wirtz date back to 2019, when the then 16-year-old impressed for FC Köln's U17s in the Bundesliga youth setup.
Photo by Jörg Schüler/Bayer 04 Leverkusen via Getty Images
He moved to Bayer Leverkusen in January 2020 and, just months later, became the club's youngest Bundesliga debutant at 17 years and 16 days. Eighteen days later, he made history again — scoring in a 4–2 loss to Bayern Munich to become the league's youngest-ever goalscorer at the time.
By 18, Wirtz had already broken more ground, earning his first senior Germany cap on September 2, 2021, coming on for Joshua Kimmich in a World Cup qualifier against Liechtenstein. He also became the youngest player to make 50 Bundesliga appearances.
His momentum was halted in March 2022 by a torn ACL — a serious injury that kept him sidelined for over 10 months. Upon his return, he found new life under Xabi Alonso, who had just taken over as Leverkusen manager.
Under Alonso's guidance, Wirtz flourished. He played a pivotal role in Leverkusen's historic domestic double in 2024, ending Bayern Munich's 11-year Bundesliga dominance.
Now, just one year later, the highly-rated attacking midfielder has earned a big-money move — with his destination seemingly Liverpool.
Style of play
Wirtz is a right-footed attacking midfielder who primarily operates as a No. 10 but also possesses the versatility to play out wide when required.
He prefers to receive the ball on the left-hand side, where he can operate on the half-turn — a position that allows him to scan the pitch and link play quickly.
The 22-year-old is comfortable in tight spaces and demonstrates composure and control even under intense pressure.
One of his standout qualities is his creativity, particularly his ability to break defensive lines both with incisive passing and intelligent movement off the ball.
Photo by Mika Volkmann/Getty Images
Verdict
Signing Wirtz for £120 million is a huge risk for any side, but Liverpool could provide the perfect environment for the youngster to grow and develop into one of the world's best players.
If the German fulfills his potential, he will become the creative heartbeat at the club for the next decade- something that could define the next era at Anfield.
The fans' treatment of Darwin Núñez — currently the Reds' most expensive signing — highlights their supportive nature, even when things don't go to plan.
While Núñez's failure to consistently convert chances ultimately cost him his career at Anfield, he is leaving as a player who is still loved by the Kop. This is exactly the kind of environment Wirtz needs.
As a young player whose transfer fee could break the British record, Wirtz will be under immense pressure to deliver immediate results.
Failure to do so could attract heavy criticism from the English media — as we've seen with previous transfers such as Enzo Fernández, Moisés Caicedo, and Jack Grealish, who have all faced intense media scrutiny during spells of bad form.
However, Liverpool supporters are known for backing their players — a level of patience that Wirtz may not find at Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, or Manchester City.
A few years from now, this transfer could be remembered as one of the smartest moves the club has ever made. Both Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker arrived with hefty price tags. Look how they've turned out.