Bundesliga legend Karl-Heinz Korbel believes Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz can replace Sadio Mane at Premier League giants Liverpool, speaking to Sport BILD.
Is there a more exciting teenage talent in European football right now?
Gavi, Jude Bellingham and Golden Boy-winner Pedri might have something to say about that. But, at the age of just 18, Wirtz is breaking records quicker than a Roy Castle-fronted BBC gameshow.
The youngest player ever to make a Bundesliga appearance for Bayer Leverkusen? Check. The Bundesliga’s youngest ever goalscorer? Check.
The first player under the age of 19 to score ten times in Germany’s top flight? Guess what? Check.
In 23 games, Wirtz has contributed 20 goals and assists this season, scoring eight himself and setting up 12 for his grateful team-mates.
It is no coincidence that Patrik Schick is enjoying the best campaign of his career with Wirtz serving up chances on a silver platter.
Will Liverpool sign Leverkusen wonderkid Florian Wirtz?
The four-time Germany international, who moves with a guile and a grace that would not look out of place at the Berlin Philharmonic, is under contract until 2026.
“A player like Wirtz needs an environment in which he feels comfortable to develop,“ says Korbel, who played over 600 Bundesliga games for Eintracht Frankfurt, translated by Sport DE.
“If he leaves in 2023 or 2024, he can choose the club (he wants to join). Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Liverpool.
“I think he’d be a good fit for Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, replacing Sadio Mane.”
What next for Sadio Mane?
At 29, Mane is 11 years Wirtz’s signature.
And it’s difficult to overlook the fact that the Champions League winner is not quite the same gale-force forward he was back in 2019, when Lionel Messi deemed him unfortunate to miss out on the Ballon D’Or.
According to The Mirror (26 December, page 78), the likes of Liverpool or Manchester United will have to pay £70 million to lure Wirtz away from the Bay Arena.
A staggering sum for a player who won’t even turn 19 until May.
But presume you’re going to get ten years of stunning service out of Wirtz? £7 million-a-season for one of the planet’s most naturally gifted forwards. Suddenly, that looks like good value.
“Wirtz is going to be the best player in Germany ever, I think,” former youth international Simon Cziommer said recently.
“You can write that down. He’ll be much better than Kai Havertz in any case.”
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