Liverpool to HIJACK City's move for Wirtz as Slot enters the race for £126m star

Liverpool have launched a plot to hijack Manchester City's move for Florian Wirtz with the race for the Germany star taking another turn, according to a report.

Wirtz's parents met City officials on Tuesday during a flying visit in England - but didn't speak to Pep Guardiola, with the club's manager out of the region ahead of the FA Cup final this weekend.

City have long since hoped to lure Wirtz to the club and are pressing ahead with attempting to secure a deal in light of Kevin De Bruyne's departure after 10 years at the Etihad Stadium.

Mail Sport revealed last week that City are awaiting news on discussions between the 22-year-old and his parents, Hans and Karin, over the direction of his career.

Wirtz is understood to have softened his stance on joining City in recent months and the Premier League appeals to the attacking midfielder.

But City are not the only club interested, with Bayern Munich also pursuing his signature and Wirtz's mother of the opinion that he should stay at Bayer Leverkusen for another season. And now, according to Kicker, Liverpool are also keen on signing the £126million-rated star.

The publication reports that Wirtz's parents met Liverpool during their trip to England. And with both Hans and Karin making the journey, they also report that Florian himself was too present, taking a private jet to assess the Liverpool area.

Pictures published in German newspaper Bild show both parents at Maastricht-Aachen Airport in the Netherlands on Monday evening after arriving back from a nine-hour round trip.

Wirtz has 33 goals and assists in 44 matches for Leverkusen this season and Real have been interested in the Germany international.

City's director of football Hugo Viana is working alongside the outgoing Txiki Begiristain during a handover period across the transfer window.

According to German journalist Christian Falk, Wirtz had been set to reject a move to City to join Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich. The report states that Wirtz has agreed a move to the Bavarian giants, with Bayern prepared to offer €100million (£84.7m) to bring him to the Allianz Arena.

That, though, is well short of Leverkusen's valuation, and Bayern would surely have to cough up a larger fee amid competition from the two Premier League sides.

If Leverkusen opt not to sell their prize asset this summer however - or if he choses to stay - Bayern are ready to wait until the summer of 2026 to make a move for the Germany international. It is unclear if City and Liverpool would be too.

Despite prior reports stating Wirtz still has three years remaining on his current deal at Leverkusen, the midfielder's current contract is set to expire in 2027.

It follows a hugely impressive campaign where Wirtz was vital in Leverkusen's  unprecedented unbeaten Bundesliga season in the 2023-24 campaign, which also saw them pick up the DFB-Pokal.

Wirtz has made 29 appearances for Germany, scoring six times, and has established himself as one of Europe's hottest prospects.

Last month, Leverkusen's CEO Fernando Carro told Radio Marca Wirtz would command a fee of 'at least €150million', although he later suggested this was a mistake.

In February, Bayern Munich chief Karl-Heinz Rummenigge announced they would target Wirtz this summer and it seems as though that is the direction of travel.

In an interview with AZ, Rummenigge said he makes 'no secret of the fact that it must clearly be our goal to sign Wirtz'.

He added: 'Everyone at FC Bayern agrees that he is exactly the player we want to sign. Not to weaken Leverkusen, but to strengthen us.'

Bayern's honorary president Uli Hoeness has also spoken about Wirtz's qualities in a separate interview with AZ, but admitted there could be financial obstacles.