Arne Slot’s Liverpool are moving quickly in the summer transfer window, as they bid to wrap up deals before pre-season training gets underway. The Reds have already brought in Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen, and they look set to return to the German club in an attempt to bring Florian Wirtz to Anfield.
Wirtz is one of the most highly regarded young players in European soccer, and Liverpool is in pole position to beat Manchester City to the signing of the attacking midfielder, who is valued at over $100 million. But, why is Liverpool so invested in bringing the Leverkusen star to the Premier League this summer?
Additional Creative Options
Liverpool’s pursuit of attacking players will be a concern for the remainder of the Premier League, as the Reds were the highest scorers in England’s top-flight in 2024/25. However, a key reason for reinforcements in the top third of the field is found after examining their attacking outputs aside from Mohamed Salah.
Philipp Lahm on Florian Wirtz:
“He seems ideal for Liverpool. The system of play there has pace, vertical direction and a clear allocation of roles within the team that should suit him really well.
Of course, I would have liked to see Wirtz in the Bayern jersey, but I can… pic.twitter.com/K6vTnFcyXp
— Anfield Sector (@AnfieldSector) June 6, 2025
Salah was the leading light for Liverpool in the Premier League with a staggering 29 goals, but only two other players managed to register at least ten efforts.
Meanwhile, the EPL champions struggled for creativity in two of their lowest points last season, as they lacked the impetus in their Champions League clash with PSG and EFL Cup final defeat against Newcastle.
Florian Wirtz was made to play for Liverpool pic.twitter.com/a9Eg6E36Lt
— 𝗦𝗮𝗺☆ (@LFC_Sam__) June 5, 2025
Dominik Szoboszlai was deployed in the number ten role throughout much of the season, but his stats do highlight that a better option could be found. The Hungarian 24-year-old scored just eleven goals in 57 appearances across all competitions, and he added only eight assists.
Despite having one of the best long shots in the competition, Szoboszlai registered just 41 shots in the league, and he ended the campaign with a shot conversion rate of 14.63%.
Wirtz is an Immediate Upgrade
Wirtz has quickly become regarded as one of the best attacking midfielders in the world. The German broke into the Bayer Leverkusen first team in 2020 and was a key player in their Bundesliga-winning campaign in the 2023/24 season. Across the last two seasons in the German top-flight, Wirtz has scored 34 goals across all competitions for Xabi Alonso’s former club.
[🚨] NEW: Florian Wirtz to Liverpool is imminent, he’s on the verge of an historic move.
If Wirtz remains injury-free, it is very possible, according to BILD information, that the mega-transfer will take place at the beginning of next week.
[Axel Hesse] pic.twitter.com/gnqoJRjSCY
— Anfield Sector (@AnfieldSector) June 6, 2025
His stats also highlight that he offers an upgrade in terms of creativity, with the attacking midfielder accumulating 18 assists in all games last term. He also ranks better than Szoboszlai in terms of efficiency after registering a shot conversion rate of 20% and boasting a shot accuracy stat of 70%.
However, it is the creative passing that has likely caught Slot’s eye. Wirtz made 1222 successful passes last season, and he averaged 2.11 key passes per 90. His reputation as one of the best number tens in world soccer is also reflected by the fact that he registered an assist every 196 minutes for Leverkusen.
Still Work to Do to Get Deal Done
There is an expectancy that a deal to take Wirtz to Anfield will get over the line, as personal terms have already been agreed. However, Liverpool is yet to reach Bayer Leverkusen’s valuation for the player.
Slot’s side has already seen two offers turned down, with the latest accumulating to a fee of $135 million after taking into account potential add-ons. The German club has set a price of $170 million for their star player, and it is believed that Leverkusen isn’t willing to budge on that valuation.
Florian Wirtz vs Portugal
pic.twitter.com/WlK3SK6OTc— 1947prod. (@1947prod) June 4, 2025
The club’s chief executive, Fernando Carro, has continuously reiterated that they ‘would never let Wirtz leave’ for anything below the asking price. However, Liverpool could find a sensible workaround to make the transfer happen, as stars like Harvey Elliott or Jarrell Quansah could be used as makeweights in the deal.
With personal terms not being an issue, there is an expectancy that we will see the German in the famous Liverpool shirt at the beginning of the 2025/26 season.
