Florian Wirtz is no stranger to being a highly sought-after football talent. Six years after first attracting attention from major clubs, Wirtz is now set for the second significant, potentially contentious move of his burgeoning career. Liverpool has reportedly agreed to an initial fee of $135 million with Bayer Leverkusen for their star player, a deal that could eventually surpass the current British transfer record. While Manchester City and Bayern Munich also expressed interest, they were unable to compete as the English champions secured one of the market`s most promising diamonds.
For many young players, a summer bidding war involving three of Europe`s elite clubs might be overwhelming. However, Wirtz seems unlikely to be fazed by such attention.
Raised in Pulheim, Wirtz grew up in a region steeped in football culture, surrounded by prominent clubs like Borussia Dortmund, Schalke, Borussia Monchengladbach, Fortuna Dusseldorf, and Bayer Leverkusen. All were aware of the exceptional talent emerging from the Cologne suburbs but had to wait their turn.
Wirtz`s upbringing in a family prioritizing development – including that of his sister Juliane, who plays for Werder Bremen – shaped his early football life. His father, Hans, chairs the local club Grun-Weiss Brauweiler, and Wirtz spent his childhood constantly engaged with the sport, seemingly with a ball always at his feet.
It`s little wonder that his coaches found him so intuitive. Benedikt Hammans, Wirtz`s youth coach in Cologne for several years, noted, `Florian knew better than me early on which decisions he should make in the game.` Breaking into the Cologne Under-17 side at 15, Wirtz was a key player in their 2019 National Championship victory.
In 14 appearances against older and physically stronger opponents, Wirtz contributed four goals and eight assists. His impressive form culminated in a dominant performance against Bayern Munich in the B-Junioren-Meisterschaft semifinal. Even at a young age, glimpses of the player Liverpool is willing to invest a British transfer record fee in were evident. Blocking a long pass, the Cologne No. 10 would expertly find space to receive the ball from a teammate. With just two touches to control, he would immediately launch a precise 50-yard pass behind the Bayern defense, setting up a straightforward goal for Jan Thielmann. Minutes later, he was perfectly positioned on the edge of a counter-attack to net his side`s fourth goal. This knack for impacting the scoresheet remained a defining trait for Wirtz.
His talents quickly attracted the attention of European powerhouses like Juventus and Arsenal. Liverpool also monitored his progress closely. Closer to home, Simon Rolfes, returning to Bayer Leverkusen as sporting director in 2018, was determined to secure the young star. Impressed by Wirtz`s technique and tenacity, Rolfes questioned why he wasn`t already a Leverkusen player.
There was a simple explanation: Cologne, Leverkusen, and Borussia Monchengladbach had a long-standing agreement against poaching academy talents from each other, aiming for regional stability and player development. Leverkusen`s approach in early 2020 was creative yet controversial. Months after helping Cologne win the youth title, Wirtz was signed by Leverkusen – but as a first-team player.
The European giants who wanted him didn`t stand much of a chance. Not only would he join his sister at the club, but his parents believed joining Leverkusen would allow him to complete his school studies. Wirtz later stated he had the final say, but his parents remain influential voices in his career decisions. This summer, clubs interested in him approached his father, Hans, with his mother Karin also involved in discussions, including with Manchester City.
`The sporting perspective is much more important than money,` Wirtz told Sports Illustrated recently, reflecting on his parents` guidance. `My parents would be angry if I ever gave money priority.`
In his early professional years, his education sometimes took precedence over football. A few months after joining Leverkusen, Wirtz was left out of the squad for a Europa League match against Slavia Prague because he had an exam the next morning. Like any teenager, football captivated him more than academics, but he remained committed to school, even taking a teacher with him when first called up to the German national team in March 2021.
Wirtz`s Rise to Stardom at Leverkusen
The move the short distance east to Leverkusen came with a clear pathway to the first team, which materialized quickly. In the summer of 2020, Chelsea signed Kai Havertz for $96 million, creating a vacancy in Leverkusen`s number 10 position. They needed a successor for their departed superstar attacker but decided against spending on a replacement. `We could buy [a replacement], a waste of money, the kid is already better,` Rolfes noted later. `At the end we didn`t have a chance to act in a different way. It would have been senseless.`
With overwhelming support within the club, Leverkusen entrusted the crucial role to a teenager. Wirtz, however, didn`t see himself as the sole difference-maker. `I try not to focus on this idea that I am any sort of special player that makes the difference in a game,` Wirtz explained in 2023. `I just want to create opportunities to score, make goals happen. I don`t really care who gets the goals, it`s really about winning the games and I just want to create dangerous chances for us.`
These chances were created with remarkable consistency. Over the past four seasons across Europe`s top five leagues, Wirtz averaged 0.46 assists per 90 minutes, a rate surpassed only by Kevin De Bruyne, Thomas Muller, Ousmane Dembele, and Lionel Messi. By nearly every creative metric, Wirtz established himself among the world`s elite players before his 22nd birthday.
TruMedia
This period wasn`t without setbacks. Wirtz spent 10 months sidelined with an anterior cruciate ligament injury, missing the 2022 World Cup. For an 18-year-old still developing physically, such a traumatic injury could significantly hinder progress. Beyond the emotional blow of missing his first major tournament, he watched Leverkusen struggle in his absence, though the appointment of Xabi Alonso offered future promise.
Those close to Wirtz say he particularly dislikes being injured. He used his recovery time effectively, focusing on improving aspects of his game that needed refining after his first Bundesliga season. Just four months after returning, he declared himself a better player than before the injury. In his first full season back, the incredible 2023-24 campaign for Bayer Leverkusen, his goal and shot output dramatically increased.
With Wirtz excelling, Leverkusen`s season became a remarkable sports story. Their stunning unbeaten domestic run secured the Bundesliga title, wresting it away from a Bayern Munich side that had seemed destined for eternal dominance, even after signing Harry Kane. Wirtz`s penchant for crucial goals, combined with his elegant style and relentless work rate, made him arguably the best player in Germany.
Integrating Wirtz into Liverpool`s System
His form continued into the 2024-25 season, even as Leverkusen`s dramatic late winners decreased and injuries, previously avoided, began to impact the squad. Wirtz himself suffered an ankle injury that ended his Bundesliga and Champions League campaigns prematurely. Despite increased demands and Alonso`s slightly more cautious system, Wirtz maintained his attacking output, contributing 20 goals in the league and taking more shots and providing more assists.
It`s no surprise that top clubs wanted him. The only minor surprise was that seemingly only Bayern Munich and Manchester City seriously competed with Liverpool. Joachim Low recently commented that he expected Wirtz to follow Alonso to Real Madrid, but Liverpool appears to be the sole contender. This position might allow them to negotiate slightly below the initial $170 million price tag reported. Regardless of the final terms, the transfer is likely to break the British transfer record of $144.6 million, set by Chelsea for Enzo Fernandez in January 2023.
For this significant fee, Liverpool is acquiring a player who is likely the most talented available, opening up immense tactical possibilities for Arne Slot. The most straightforward option is to deploy Wirtz as a number 10, the role Dominik Szoboszlai occupied last season. Wirtz offers significantly more goal output; Liverpool would effectively swap an attacker providing six league goals/assists for one realistically capable of double figures in both categories. While physically smaller, Wirtz is a relentless presser. In their title-winning season, no player across the Bundesliga recovered possession in the attacking third more often than Leverkusen`s No. 10.
This direct role would certainly be effective, but Liverpool`s other transfer activity under Michael Edwards suggests more nuanced possibilities. The signings of Jeremie Frimpong (a former and likely future Wirtz teammate) and Milos Kerkez provide Slot with attacking wing-backs. Last season, Liverpool`s fullbacks played more conservatively than under Jurgen Klopp, a dynamic likely to change with players like Frimpong, who sometimes played almost as a forward under Alonso, and Kerkez, who is also suited to bombing forward.
TruMedia
This could necessitate a more cautious midfield behind Wirtz, perhaps featuring a dedicated anchor and a shift to a 4-3-3 formation. This setup could also suit Wirtz, given his tendency to drift into wider areas recently. A notable feature of Leverkusen`s play was the interaction between left wing-back Alejandro Grimaldo and Wirtz, with Grimaldo free to move inside and out, attacking the box or combining for one-twos. Could a similar dynamic emerge with Kerkez? Bournemouth typically utilized their Hungarian international`s pace and running power more than his technical skills, and he profiles more like a younger Andrew Robertson – an energetic presence on the left flank whose strength is getting to the byline.
If Liverpool opts to deploy their left back in that manner, it shouldn`t hinder Wirtz. Indeed, their recruitment strategy seems aligned to move wide attackers into more central positions. Having previously played wider on the right to accommodate Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah could now shift infield with Frimpong providing width outside him. Slot could apply a similar strategy with Wirtz.
For a fee potentially exceeding nine figures, Liverpool gains significant tactical flexibility, but more importantly, they acquire a central figure for their future attack. Since Salah signed his most recent contract in 2022, a major question for Anfield has been who would step up when the “Egyptian King” eventually passes his peak. Wirtz provides that answer. In his early twenties, he seems ready to inherit the crown, and the regalia appears to fit him well.
Based on the trajectory of his career so far, a high-profile move and the challenge of succeeding a club legend should only bring out the best in Florian Wirtz.
