Liverpool are in pole position to beat Bayern Munich to a blockbuster deal for Florian Wirtz, but the German champions could retaliate by making a move for Cody Gakpo
Bayern Munich will respond to missing out on Florian Wirtz by launching a shock raid on Liverpool to try and sign Cody Gakpo this summer after shelving plans to buy a new No.10.
The German giants were viewed as the red-hot favourites to sign Wirtz, 22, if the sought after attacking midfielder decided to move on from Bayer Leverkusen this summer. But that no longer appears to be the case with Wirtz now leaning towards joining Liverpool.
Bayern club president, Herbert Hainer, all but conceded defeat in the club's attempts to land the Germany star over the weekend after revealing that Max Eberl, Bayern's sporting director, had been informed of the player's desire to move to Anfield.
And after making a big U-turn on plans to sign an elite No.10 in Wirtz, Bayern are now in the market for a left-sided forward - and Gakpo fits the bill.
The Netherlands star, 26, enjoyed a fine season for the newly minted Premier League champions, amassing 25 goal contributions across 49 games in all competitions.
There is also an expectation that Liverpool will make efforts to freshen up their attacking options in the upcoming transfer window which would suggest that some players could move on.
However, Mirror Football understands Liverpool boss Arne Slot has little interest in parting ways with Gakpo this summer - but an offer too good to refuse could persuade club chiefs to sell. That figure would likely need to be north of £75million, though, particularly with question marks over the futures of Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota.
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While Gakpo is of interest to Bayern, the German champions have other names on their radar. Among them is Kaoru Mitoma, the Brighton winger who has dazzled since making his Premier League bow back in 2022.
AC Milan's Rafael Leao is another player Bayern are thought to hold an interest in; the Portugal interest was linked with a move to Arsenal over the weekend with Liverpool's domestic rivals also in the market for a new left winger.
The Reds are also expecting a flurry of activity ahead of the new campaign with deals for Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez in the works as well as their ongoing pursuit of Wirtz.