Bayer Leverkusen wonderkid Florian Wirtz has been linked with Liverpool, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur, but a major injury will almost certainly rule out a summer deal.
Wirtz has emerged as German football’s next big thing having excelled in the Bayer Leverkusen first team.
Wirtz, 18, only joined Leverkusen from the FC Koln ranks in 2020 but has rapidly become a star in the Bundesliga.
A superb attacking midfielder, Wirtz has been hailed as ‘fresh, lively and nonchalant’ by Lars Bender, with many backing him for global stardom.
With 10 goals and 14 assists in just 31 games this season, Wirtz is turning in ridiculous performances for just 18. Unsurprisingly, that form has sparked interest.
BILD claim that Liverpool, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur all fancy signing Wirtz, joining Bayern Munich, Manchester City and many more clubs.
Liverpool and Tottenham often keep tabs on the top young players in Germany whilst Newcastle’s new-found riches mean a player like Wirtz was bound to be on their radar.
It was suggested that any deal for Wirtz would reach around €100million (£84million), with Leverkusen seemingly believing a huge fee on the horizon.
There is unlikely to be a summer deal now though, because Wirtz has suffered a season-ending injury blow.
Leverkusen faced Wirtz’s former club Koln on Sunday, losing 1-0 in a shock defeat with Wirtz going off with a first-half injury.
Wirtz tangled with Luca Kilian and was carried off the pitch on a stretcher, suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
Wirtz will not only miss the rest of the season but probably at least half of next season, missing out on the World Cup in the process.
There will almost certainly be no summer transfer, and the focus for Wirtz will now be to rehabilitate and get back on the pitch in 2023.
Let’s hope Wirtz can return to being a star in the near future, and that this injury doesn’t ruin what looked set to become a glittering career.
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