LaLiga side want deal for Liverpool forward
Liverpool are plotting a MAJOR attacking overhaul this summer. Among the arrivals is expected to be Florian Wirtz, with a deal finally agreed with Bayer Leverkusen.
The 22-year-old is set to become a cornerstone of a new era at Anfield - and comes with a hefty price tag that could potentially reach £116m.
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But sporting director Richard Hughes and head coach Arne Slot won't stop there. A new No9 is also planned as the club would like an upgrade on Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota.
Sales - including Nunez and Jota - will help furnish incomings like Wirtz and potentially a new striker. But it's not just Liverpool's current selection of No9s at risk.
Federico Chiesa could leave this summer
Wingers - including Luis Diaz and Ben Doak - could also be sacrificed. Diaz, 28, is of interest to Barcelona and teams in Saudi Arabia while Doak could command a useful fee if he's sold to another Premier League team.
But the biggest uncertainty currently surrounds Federico Chiesa. The Italian winger joined the Reds less than a year ago - on a £12.5m deal from Juventus.
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Although he can count himself as a Premier League winner, the 27-year-old endured a poor campaign on a personal level.
The Euro 2020 winner played in only SIX league games - for a total of 104 minutes - and failed to win over the doubters on his rare starts in other competitions either.
Back in January it was speculated that Chiesa would cut his Liverpool adventure short and return to Serie A.
© IMAGO
Real Betis want Chiesa
The transfer noise has increased once again during this off-season - but the forward may well have an opportunity to test himself in a different environment.
That's because according to a new report in Fichajes, Real Betis have got plans to add Chiesa on loan next season.
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'The Italian winger, who failed to establish himself at Liverpool, is now in the sights of the Betis, who see him as a market opportunity to strengthen their attack,' reads a report.
'Manuel Pellegrini has reportedly approved a possible loan move, convinced that the Italian international would fit perfectly into his offensive system.'
Betis had a very good season - finishing sixth and qualifying for the Europa League as well as earning a runners-up spot in the Conference League.
But they are losing talisman Antony - who is returning to Manchester United after a successful loan. Chiesa would presumably come to the club as an Antony replacement on the right wing.
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Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Florian Wirtz looks ready-made to be a key piece of the puzzle at Liverpool
When the Bayern Munich charm offensive starts in earnest, few players are impervious to it. When months of public flattery and declarations of interest in Florian Wirtz continued past the Rekordmeister's title celebrations in Marienplatz and the departure of Xabi Alonso from Bayer Leverkusen, the whole of German football felt they knew which way the wind was blowing. So it is an unpleasant surprise to Munich's finest to see the red jersey Wirtz is holding up for the camera is not theirs, but that of Liverpool, who have signed him in a record £116m deal. Make no mistake: this is an authentic coup for the Premier League champions. How Wirtz came to choose a future in north-west England rather than southern Germany tells us much about the personality, as well as the player. Advertisement Related: Florian Wirtz seals Liverpool move from Bayer Leverkusen in club record £116m deal The 22-year-old has been in the full glare of the limelight since he was 16. He made the controversial move from Köln to Leverkusen, was fast-tracked to the first team and given a full debut by Peter Bosz to surpass Kai Havertz as the club's youngest player a fortnight after his 17th birthday. Nineteen days later he became the club's youngest goalscorer in a defeat by Bayern. Wirtz has made every stage – becoming a regular starter, playing European football, making his Germany debut at 18 – look easy without the peacocking that often goes with such extravagant talent. When his pre-Euro 2024 ranking of potato dishes on the German football federation's TikTok account went viral (he put a 'normal' potato at No 1, with much public amusement following), he grumpily remarked: 'I don't find it entertaining at all.' No one needs to tell Wirtz that what he is doing on the pitch is what pays the bills. His father, Hans, is his agent and adviser but Wirtz Jr knows his own mind. Hans has had a number of conversations with Bayern's honorary president, Uli Hoeness, in recent months and it has been reported that when Vincent Kompany felt Florian was not convinced by Bayern's pitch, Hans convinced his son to sit down with the Bayern brass for one more meeting. Florian agreed to do so but was not swayed. Liverpool remained his choice. A move to Munich would have been understandable, even if it would have been a miserable sight for many Bundesliga fans. Staying in Germany a year before the World Cup, and reprising the partnership that he and his friend Jamal Musiala have for the national team as dual No 10s under Julian Nagelsmann, would have had much to recommend it. Not to mention, as many in Germany have, the possibility of a lighter physical load playing for the most dominant team in the Bundesliga as opposed to the clatter and crunch of a debut season in the Premier League. Wirtz is 5ft 10in but is relatively slight and, having taken 10 months and then plenty of match practice to come back to his best after an anterior cruciate ligament injury in 2022, there is the feeling that he will need to be looked after, protected and carefully managed. Advertisement This, along with his game-winning ability, is why Alonso told the Guardian in November 2023 that, while all his Leverkusen players had the remit to interpret their roles as they saw fit, 'Flo gets a bit more freedom'. Wirtz has proved worth every bit of that extra licence to thrill, whether as a No 10, drifting in from an inside-left position, or even nominally employed as a false 9. Whereas many in his role are there to feed a star striker, his ability to be decisive in any ways needed, be it the last pass, the finish or a silky dribble to open up the opposition, means he is the star that the team should revolve around. He has reached double figures in goals and assists in each of the past two seasons (10 and 12 respectively in the league alone last term) and turns up in the big matches. Wirtz adapted to his first season in the Champions League in 2024-25 as if he had always played there, scoring six times in nine starts before injury curtailed his involvement. It was his hat-trick against Werder Bremen in April 2024 that clinched Leverkusen's first Bundesliga title. He will be stepping into an existing, and winning, hierarchy at Liverpool. His social media rubbishing of reports he wanted Alexis Mac Allister's No 10 shirt showed his respect for that. Yet it is not a leap to imagine him as an instant key piece. A front three of Wirtz, Mohamed Salah and Luis Díaz or Cody Gakpo would bring the champions in line with the amorphous attacking trios looking set to dominate the Champions League. Wirtz dropping into a 10 role to allow Salah plus one to create a de facto front two could work well, and relieve the Egyptian of some of his creative load. When it comes to a big decision, the Wirtzes take their time. That was the case when he joined Leverkusen in January 2020. Indignant as Köln were – believing their near neighbours had reneged on a tacit agreement not to take one another's players – they knew Wirtz's departure was in the post when, as with this move, the player and his family spent time running the clock before deciding to move 15 minutes up the road to the BayArena. When Wirtz takes his time to make a decision, it usually works out. When it's time to take the field, he is far more speedy and decisive.
Forbes
27 minutes ago
- Forbes
Florian Wirtz Joins Liverpool For A Club Record Fee From Leverkusen
Florian Wirtz has signed a contract until 2030 at Liverpool. (Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via ... More Getty Images) Liverpool FC via Getty Images The biggest deal in Bundesliga history is completed. On Friday, Liverpool announced that the club had signed German star Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen. Wirtz has signed a contract until 2030. 'I feel very happy and very proud,' Wirtz said in a Liverpool club statement. 'Finally it's done and I was waiting for a long time – finally it's done and I am really happy. I'm really excited to have a new adventure in front of me. This was also a big point of my thoughts: that I want to have something completely new, to go out of the Bundesliga and to join the Premier League.' It is a record deal for Leverkusen. According to the transfer experts at Transfermarkt , Leverkusen will receive an initial €125 million ($144 million), with a further €15 million ($17.3 million) in very achievable add-ons, plus another possible €10 million ($11.5 million) in more difficult-to-reach add-ons. Where does that deal rank among Premier League players? Wirtz has become the most expensive German player, the most expensive player in Premier League history , and the sixth most expensive player in the history of the game . If all add-ons are met, it could rise to the third most expensive transfer ever. 'We are very proud of the path he has taken at Bayer 04," said Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro in a club statement. "Now we have to let him go. We will miss Florian, but part of him will always be connected to Bayer 04. His sporting ability and his irrepressible commitment are an example and inspiration to us to show our full ambition to establish Bayer 04 at the top of German football and always strive to achieve the maximum success." Florian Wirtz helped guide Leverkusen to the Bundesliga title in 2024. (Photo by Stuart ...) Getty Images For Leverkusen, the Wirtz departure marks another moment in what will be a massive rebuild for the club this summer. Leverkusen, after all, not only lost Wirtz but also sold Jérémie Frimpong to Liverpool, as well as losing head coach Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid. With that in mind, new head coach Erik ten Hag now faces the tricky task of building a new squad that can chase Rekordmeister Bayern Munich. The fees earned this summer will help. After all, Leverkusen also received €40 million ($46 million) for Frimpong, as well as a significant fee for Alonso. Using that money well is now a task for the director of sport, Simon Rolfes. As for Liverpool, the Reds were able to add one of the most talented players ever produced in German football. Indeed, Wirtz is an impact player who has guided Leverkusen to an undefeated domestic double in 2023/24. At Liverpool, Wirtz now wants to continue to collect titles. 'I would like to win everything every year,' Wirtz said 'First of all, we have to do our work, I have to make my work. In the end, we want to be successful. Last season they won the Premier League, so my goal is for sure to win it again and also to go further in the Champions League. I'm really ambitious.'
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Man Utd interested in Liverpool midfielder Nagano
Fuka Nagano was part of Japan's squad at the 2023 Women's World Cup [Getty Images] Manchester United are interested in signing Liverpool midfielder Fuka Nagano on a free transfer this summer. The 26-year-old's contract runs out at Liverpool at the end of June and she is yet to agree an extension despite having offers on the table for several months. Advertisement Sources at Liverpool suggested in May they were hopeful Nagano would renew her contract but United's interest could complicate matters. Nagano joined Liverpool in January 2023 and quickly established herself as a regular starter in the team. The midfielder could link-up with fellow Japanese international Hinata Miyazawa if United are successful in their pursuit.
