Florian Wirtz’s agent claims Real Madrid passed on signing Liverpool star

Florian Wirtz was one of the most sought-after players last summer, after breaking into the limelight at Bayer Leverkusen.

Wirtz helped Leverkusen win their first Bundesliga title in the 2023/24 season. He was named both Player of the Season and included in the Team of the Season.

It was no surprise that he had several suitors before joining Liverpool for €150 million — the record British transfer at the time.

Wirtz’s agent, Volker Struth, has now revealed that he wanted the midfielder to join Real Madrid, reuniting him with Xabi Alonso, who had joined the club from Leverkusen.

He told Bild’s Phrasenmäher podcast: “During the period when a move to Liverpool or Bayern was being discussed, I called Xabi Alonso and told him, ‘You have to take the lad from Leverkusen with you to Real.

“Xabi replied, ‘You don’t have to tell me that — you have to tell Florentino Pérez.’ So I sent him a message: ‘Dear Florentino, I’ve told you many times before: I have a player here whom I would highly recommend. Florian Wirtz makes every team in the world better.’”

Having signed Dean Huijsen, Franco Mastantuono, Alvaro Carreras and Trent Alexander-Arnold, Madrid passed on the opportunity to sign Wirtz.

Madrid also have Arder Guler and Jude Bellingham, both capable of playing in the No.10 role — Wirtz’s preferred position — making a move for the German less appealing.

“That year, it simply wasn’t the right time due to the squad and the budget,’ Struth added.

“Even Real Madrid’s coffers aren’t always overflowing. But my wish remains that Florian will play there one day.”

Wirtz is getting back to his best form after a slow start at Liverpool. He has six goals and eight assists in 35 appearances across all competitions.

Stats from transfermarkt.com