Real Madrid offered the possibility of signing Wirtz
Meanwhile, Wirtz has fared a little better.
The 22-year-old German has occasionally flashed for Arne Slot’s side but is still a long way from the level that convinced Liverpool to pay a fee that could reach £116m for his services.
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Wirtz has moved into attack, despite Slot promising him a starting role as a central playmaker. As well as the number 10, he has also been tested on the left wing, but Liverpool are still hoping for a goal, or an assist in the Premier League, from their new attacking star.
Meanwhile, there is some excitement in the Spanish press about Real Madrid’s prospects of signing Wirtz, with claims emerging that Liverpool have already ruled him out.
The LFC would accept 110 million euros for Wirtz
This is likely wishful thinking: Wirtz has agreed a five-year deal at Anfield. However, Defensa Central claim that the Reds are willing to accept a fee of €110m for Wirtz, having paid around €137m in total for him last summer.
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“The English club paid 150 million for Wirtz last summer, but now they are opening the door to his departure,” the report reads.
“In fact, they are reportedly willing to lower the asking price and put it up for sale for 110 million.”
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Wirtz MUST improve
The reason Madrid are so interested is that Xabi Alonso was the man who sparked Wirtz’s best form at Bayer Leverkusen.
The duo won the 2023/24 Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double together in an extraordinary unbeaten season.
And in fact, Madrid were a candidate to sign Wirtz before he joined Liverpool, with Arne Slot eventually convincing the playmaker that his future lay on Merseyside.
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It’s a long shot that the Reds will waive Wirtz so soon after signing, but we have to admit that he hasn’t lived up to expectations yet. Slot needs to get the best of Wirtz – and fast – otherwise the questions will really start to arise.