Club trying to sign replacement for their ‘outstanding’ player, after claims Liverpool could bid

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Bayer Leverkusen are already trying to find a replacement for reported Liverpool target Florian Wirtz.

Wirtz has been in phenomenal form for Leverkusen, who sit top of the Bundesliga table with six wins from the opening seven games.

The 20-year-old has always been a prodigious talent, regularly linked with some of the biggest clubs in the world, including and Liverpool.

And according to German outlet Sport1, Leverkusen have now begun to accept that they won’t be able to keep Wirtz beyond next summer.

As a result, it’s claimed that Xabi Alonso’s side have already begun scouting the world for a potential replacement.

That doesn’t mean they’re going to let such a talent go on the cheap, though. The Germans are reportedly expecting a bidding war for Wirtz, involving ‘top clubs’ from Spain and England, as well as Bayern Munich.

With no release clause in his contract, it’s claimed that Leverkusen are expecting a record-breaking fee for the Germany international.

Leverkusen braced for Wirtz battle

As things stand, you wouldn’t expect that Liverpool would be right at the front of the queue for Wirtz.

Nevertheless, journalist Fabrizio Romano did say back in March that the Reds were ones to keep an especially close eye on in regards to the German.

He did name Real Madrid and Barcelona too, but it seems that Liverpool are huge fans of Wirtz.

And why shouldn’t they be? After bursting onto the scene as a 17-year-old, Wirtz hasn’t let a serious knee injury in March 2022 get in the way of his progress. Described as ‘outstanding’ by former Germany boss Hansi Flick [bundesliga.com], he’s clearly got a huge future.

In a really exciting Leverkusen team under Alonso, the forward has three goals and four assists in 10 appearances this season. He’s only getting better, too.

Consequently, you can see why Bayer don’t think they can keep Wirtz. But if they do let him go, it’s going to be for a mint.

For the time being, Liverpool’s priority isn’t – or at least shouldn’t be – to recruit another forward. Not unless it’s a long-term successor for Mohamed Salah. For all his qualities, that isn’t Wirtz. So, while they may still be exploring their options here, we’d be surprised to see the Reds take this further.