BERLIN (AP) 鈥 Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz has seemingly turned down Bayern Munich in favor of a switch to Premier League champion Liverpool.
The 22-year-old Wirtz, who has a contract with Leverkusen to 2027, was a summer target for Bayern with club powerbroker Uli Hoene脽 openly calling for the Germany playmaker鈥檚 signing.
Sporting director Max Eberl had alluded to Wirtz鈥 potential arrival when explaining Bayern鈥檚 decision not to extend club favorite Thomas M眉ller鈥檚 contract, saying the Bayern fans would understand when they saw who would be arriving at the club in the summer.
But club president Herbert Hainer reportedly told fans this weekend that Eberl had informed him that Wirtz preferred a move to Liverpool.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 say how matters will proceed with Leverkusen,鈥 Hainer said at a Bayern fan fest, according to the Munich tabloid Abendzeitung.
Bayern had been hoping young stars Wirtz and Jamal Musiala would define a new era at the club.
But Wirtz鈥 rejection upsets the Bavarian powerhouse鈥檚 summer strategy and is a blow for a club used to getting its way. Bayern is known for signing its German rivals鈥 best players, being able to offer more money and title-winning possibilities.
Robert Lewandowski, Mats Hummels and Mario G枚tze all switched from Borussia Dortmund when it was a genuine challenger, while Dayot Upamecano, Konrad Laimer and Marcel Sabitzer all joined from Leipzig in recent years. Bayern also coaxed coach Julian Nagelsmann from the latter.
Dortmund star Marco Reus bucked the trend when he opted to resist Bayern鈥檚 overtures in 2015.
Bayern is expected to sign Leverkusen captain Jonathan Tah after failing to reach agreement for his transfer last year. His Leverkusen contract is expiring at the end of June, meaning Bayern doesn鈥檛 need to deal with Leverkusen unless it wants him to play before then. FIFA鈥檚 Club World Cup starts June 15.
Earlier this month, he was drawn to the idea of a new challenge and to 鈥渓eave my comfort zone at some point.鈥
Wirtz helped Leverkusen to its first ever German league title in 2024, when it completed an unprecedented unbeaten Bundesliga campaign and garnished the season with the German Cup title. This season he chipped in 16 goals across all competitions while setting up 16 more for teammates, but Leverkusen was unable to win any meaningful silverware.
Leverkusen coach Xabi and the club looks set to lose key players with Tah certain to leave, Jeremie Frimpong linked with Liverpool, and Piero Hincapie saying he鈥檚 open to a move.
Liverpool has emerged as the most likely destination for Wirtz with the player reportedly keen on the switch. Manchester City has dropped out of the race because of the high price tag, the , and Madrid seems to be prioritizing a move for Athletic Bilbao鈥檚 Nico Williams.
But Wirtz could also potentially stay at Leverkusen another season with the club reportedly demanding a transfer fee of around 130-150 million euros ($148-171 million) for the player.
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