Liverpool and Arsenal face an uphill task luring Florian Wirtz to the Premier League next summer with Bayer Leverkusen considering the Germany international “untouchable”, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
Speculation surrounding the futures of Kai Havertz and Leon Bailey dragged on for three years before the Leverkusen duo finally moved to English shores – to Chelsea and Aston Villa respectively.
And it seems we should strap ourselves in for another drawn-out, never-ending transfer saga with the one-time Champions League finalists in no mood to cash in on a player tipped to become the greatest German footballer of all time – “much better” than Havertz at any rate.
Last week, BILD reporter Christian Falk reported Wirtz was already causing a stir across the Channel, with Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City joining a queue longer than motorists outside an Asda fuel station.
However, Wirtz only recently signed a new deal until 2026.
And while you’d get long odds on him still being a Leverkusen player five years from now, it seems Mikel Arteta, Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola would be wasting their time trying to sign Wirtz any time soon.
Arsenal and Liverpool join long queue for Florian Wirtz
“Bayern Munich, Premier League clubs and many others are following the Florian Wirtz situation closely,” explains Romano.
“Bayer Leverkusen’s position is the same – he’s considered ‘untouchable’ next summer.
“There’s no release clause in his long-term contract.”
Money speaks louder than words, of course, and it would be interesting to see how Leverkusen reacted if someone came knocking with a bid in excess of the £72 million Chelsea paid for Havertz last year.
In just eight games, Wirtz has already produced six goals and five assists this season – not bad considering he doesn’t turn 19 until May.
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