Florian Wirtz was linked with Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Manchester City last summer, but Liverpool swooped in and paid Bayer Leverkusen £116m.
Agent wants Florian Wirths to join Real Madrid (Image: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
German agent Volker Struth wants Liverpool star Florian Wirths to play for Real Madrid, a day after last summer’s failed transfer bid. Wirtz, 22, is one of Europe’s hottest players in 2025 after an excellent season with Bayer Leverkusen.
In addition to Real and Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Manchester City were also linked. In the end, Liverpool won, paying a fee of £116 million, a British record at the time.
But Struth, one of Germany’s leading agents who has worked with Wirtz, had originally planned to bring him to the Bernabeu along with outgoing Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso. Struth told Plasenmacher: “During the period when a move to Liverpool or Bayern was being discussed, I called Xabi Alonso and said: “We have to take this player from Leverkusen to Real.
“Xavi said, ‘You don’t have to tell me that, you have to tell[Real president]Florentino Perez.’ So I actually sent him a message.
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“‘Dear Florentino, I have said this many times before: Here is a player I would highly recommend. Florian Wirtz makes every team in the world better.'”
But Perez had other priorities. The manager wanted to strengthen Real’s defense and signed Dean Huyssen, Alvaro Carreras and Trent Alexander-Arnold, as well as forward Franco Mastantuono for a total of £140m.
“That year just wasn’t the right time because of the team and the budget,” Struth added. “Even Real Madrid’s coffers are not always full. But my hope is that Florian will play there one day.”
It remains to be seen how much of an impact Struth will have on Wirtz’s future. The German national team player is directly represented by his father, Hans-Joachim, and Struth has previously been involved in the player’s marketing.
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Volker Struth wanted Florian Wirths to sign for Real Madrid in 2025 (Image: Marco Steinbrenner/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
However, Florentino Perez preferred to strengthen in other areas (Image: Thomas COEX/AFP via Getty Images)
Wirtz is finally starting to settle in at Anfield, scoring six goals and providing three assists in his last 14 appearances. The 22-year-old was due to start in Sunday’s 1-0 win away to Nottingham Forest, but suffered an injury during the warm-up.
“I don’t think it’s that serious,” Arne Slott said after the match. “He felt his lower back too much during the warm-up before the start and couldn’t be at 100 percent or close to 100 percent.
“I think when you’ve been in this league for six, seven, eight months, no matter how good you are on the ball, you have to give 100 percent at this level. So we decided not to play him, but we hope and expect him to be with us next week.”
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