LIVERPOOL ARE IN TALKS WITH BAYER LEVERKUSEN OVER A DEAL FOR MIDFIELD SENSATION FLORIAN WIRTZ, WHO WAS A TOP TARGET FOR MANCHESTER UNITED DURING RALF RANGNICK'S TIME AT THE CLUB 13:32,

29 May 2025Updated 13:33, 29 May 2025 Liverpool could embarrass Manchester United by signing their once 'top target' Florian Wirtz this summer. The Reds are in discussions with

Bayer Leverkusen after persuading Wirtz and his representatives that his future is on Merseyside. The 22-year-old midfielder's family recently flew to Liverpool to scout out properties

in the north west of England, having been won over by Arne Slot's vision for him and the Premier League victors moving forward. Liverpool have since tabled an initial offer of

Fernandez in 2023. However, Wirtz's preference to join Liverpool over Bayern Munich means the Premier League champions are currently leading the pack in the race to secure the signature

of their long-term target. The news will not be well-received in Red Devils circles after they missed the chance to sign him three-and-a-half years ago. During Ralf Rangnick's brief

tenure at Old Trafford, the then-interim manager compiled a comprehensive list of his top transfer targets for the United hierarchy to pursue. Rangnick took the reins at United in December

2021, with plans to transition into a two-year consultancy role once a permanent successor was found at the end of the season. His January 2022 transfer window wishlist featured names like

Josko Gvardiol, Christopher Nkunku and Erling Haaland, but his top target was an 18-year-old Wirtz, according to _The Sun_. Wirtz was making waves at Leverkusen at the time, having become

the club's youngest ever Bundesliga player after debuting just after his 17th birthday in March 2020. With eight goals and eight assists the following season, he earned a call-up to the

senior Germany squad in March 2021. It was reported at the time that Rangnick hoped the allure of the Premier League and Old Trafford might entice Wirtz to join United. A transfer fee of

£60m was believed to have been sufficient to convince Leverkusen to part ways. However, United chose not to make any signings in January 2022, much to Rangnick's annoyance. The interim

boss departed the club in May after managing just 11 wins from his 31 games, ending United's pursuit of Wirtz. Since then, the attacking midfielder has emerged as one of Europe's

most promising talents due to his performances under Xabi Alonso. He played a crucial role in Leverkusen's unbeaten domestic double last season, attracting attention from clubs such as

Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Chelsea. Bayern, the newly-crowned German champions, were quietly confident of securing a deal for Wirtz, who is contracted with Leverkusen until 2027.

However, after a meeting with Bayern's chief Max Eberl, club supremo Uli Hoeness and head coach Vincent Kompany, Wirtz and his parents – who represent him in negotiations – felt

underwhelmed and unclear about Bayern's plans for him. In contrast, Liverpool impressed them with their depth of knowledge about Wirtz, which put them ahead in the queue. Simon Rolfes,

Leverkusen's managing director, confirmed this week that Liverpool have "concrete interest" in Wirtz. "[Wirtz is] one of our players," Rolfes said at the press

conference to unveil new head coach Erik ten Hag on Monday. "Naturally, there's a lot of interest. There's concrete interest from Liverpool but there's no more to say

right now. Florian is our player." The potential blockbuster deal for Wirtz is just one part of Liverpool's summer transfer window plans. His Leverkusen team-mate Jeremie Frimpong

is already heading for Anfield in a £29.5m deal, while Bournemouth defender Milos Kerkez is also of interest. Article continues below These potential arrivals demonstrate the pulling power

of winning, with Slot able to convince prospective signings following his Premier League title success. On a positive note for United and current boss Ruben Amorim, they are nearing the

completion of signing Matheus Cunha from Wolves for £62.5m, with a medical lined up for the Brazilian forward.