Liverpool could offer SWAP in surprise Florian Wirtz talks

Liverpool have an extra card to play in talks for Florian Wirtz. The German is expected to cost a record amount.

Liverpool are in the race to sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen, which is a magical thing to say. The Reds reportedly made an offer for the German, per Kicker, as they attempt to beat Bayern Munich to the star.

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And it’s Bayern that they’re now pushing against - not Manchester City. Reports broke on Monday that City have pulled out of the running for Wirtz, claiming he’s too expensive at this stage.

Which, admittedly, is a bizarre thing to hear City complain about.

But it leaves a two-horse race for Wirtz. Liverpool vs Bayern Munich - though, the latter are almost certainly the favourites to land the player.

He’s a German footballer, after all, and that appears to automatically give Bayern first dibs on him. That’s how things have worked for the last 30 years, anyway.

Liverpool do have an advantage of sorts, though, in that Leverkusen almost certainly prefer to sell to them. They’d rather not strengthen their rivals in the same way Borussia Dortmund did time and time again.

So with that in mind, Liverpool also have a little bit of an advantage here - an extra card to play.

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Liverpool can offer swap deal

The biggest ‘problem’ facing anyone wanting Wirtz is the fee. Leverkusen want to smash records with the sale, supposedly chasing €150m.

That would be a record-breaking transfer for both Liverpool and English football as a whole. It’s a fee Bayern will struggle to pay, too, and that hands an initiative to the Merseysiders.

Liverpool also have a way to knock that fee down a bit. Not by too much, admittedly, but Leverkusen are fans of Tyler Morton.

The midfielder is widely expected to leave Liverpool this summer - something he very, very nearly did in 2024. Leverkusen had a deal lined up to get him but the Reds changed their minds on selling after Martin Zubimendi rejected a move to Anfield.

The fee would have been around around £15m to £20m. It’s only a fraction of Wirtz’s cost, of course, but it does offer a way to help pay it.

And handing Leverkusen a free run at Morton is only going to boost negotiations. Guarantee the sale and suddenly agreeing a fee (and how it’s paid) becomes a lot easier.

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Maybe it’s just a small card to play but absolutely anything that helps could make a world of difference when it comes to signing Wirtz.