Liverpool set to sign player who was at the very top of MU's transfer wishlist

Liverpool are favourites to sign German superstar Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen this summer after tabling a bid, while rivals Manchester United have been left kicking themselves

Manchester United’s failure to sign their 'top target' Florian Wirtz is set to come back to haunt them as Liverpool close in on the German sensation. Liverpool are currently in talks with Bayer Leverkusen after convincing Wirtz and his representatives that his future lies in Merseyside.

The 22-year-old's family recently flew to Liverpool to look at houses in the north west of England, having been impressed with Arne Slot’s vision for him and the Premier League winners going forward.

The Reds have since submitted an opening bid of £85million plus add-ons for the Germany international after receiving the green light from owners Fenway Sports Group. That sum falls short of Leverkusen’s valuation of the player, with the German side understood to be holding out for a deal that would break the Premier League transfer record, set by Chelsea’s £115m move for Moises Caicedo in 2023.

Yet, Wirtz’s preference to join Liverpool over Bayern Munich means the Premier League champions are very much the frontrunners in the race to secure their long-term target’s signature, with negotiations between the two clubs continuing and an agreement likely very soon.

Suchnews will be particularly poorly received in certain Manchester circles after they passed up the opportunity to sign him three-and-a-half years ago.

During Ralf Rangnick’s brief spell in charge at Old Trafford, the then-interim manager compiled a lengthy list of his top transfer targets for the United hierarchy to bring in.

Rangnick was appointed in December 2021 and was expected to start a two-year consultancy gig once a permanent successor was identified at the end of the season. Ahead of his first transfer window at the helm in January 2022, his wishlist included the likes of Josko Gvardiol, Christopher Nkunku and Erling Haaland.

But an 18-year-old Wirtz was the German’s priority target. Wirtz at the time was enjoying a meteoric rise at Leverkusen, becoming the club’s youngest ever player in the Bundesliga with his debut coming shortly after his 17th birthday in March 2020. With eight goals and eight assists the following season, he earned a call-up to the senior Germany squad in March 2021.

Rangnick had hoped the draw of the Premier League and Old Trafford could persuade Wirtz to join United. The report claimed a transfer fee of £60m would have been sufficient to convince Leverkusen to part ways.

United, however, opted against making any signings in January 2022, much to the frustration of Rangnick. And the interim boss left the club in May after winning just 11 of his 31 games, ending the Red Devils’ pursuit of Wirtz.

Since then, the attacking-midfielder has gone on to become one of European football’s brightest talents thanks to his performances under Xabi Alonso. He played a pivotal role as Leverkusen completed an unbeaten domestic double last season, which put him on the radar of clubs like Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Chelsea.

Newly-crowned German champions Bayern were quietly confident that they could complete a deal this summer for Wirtz, who is under contract with Leverkusen until 2027. However, that fell apart after Wirtz and his parents – who represent him in negotiations – met with Bayern chief Max Eberl, club supremo Uli Hoeness and head coach Vincent Kompany.

It is understood that they left the meeting feeling underwhelmed and with a lack of clarity around Bayern's plans for him. The opposite happened when they met with Liverpool, who impressed due to a depth of knowledge around Wirtz, allowing them to push ahead in the queue.

Leverkusen’s managing director Simon Rolfes this week confirmed that Liverpool hold “concrete interest” in him. "[Wirtz is] one of our players," Rolfes said at the press conference to unveil new head coach Erik ten Hag on Monday. "Naturally, there’s a lot of interest. There’s concrete interest from Liverpool but there’s no more to say right now. Florian is our player.”

The blockbuster deal for Wirtz is just one part of Liverpool’s plans for the summer transfer window, with his Leverkusen team-mate Jeremie Frimpong also heading for Anfield in a £29.5m deal, while Bournemouth defender Milos Kerkez is also of interest. Their potential arrivals is clear evidence of the pulling power of winning, with Slot able to convince players following his Premier League title victory.

On the plus side for United and Ruben Amorim, they are edging close to completing the signing of Matheus Cunha from Wolves for £62.5m, with a medical on the way for the Brazilian attacker.