According to rumours, Liverpool turned down Bayern’s offer for Wirtz, and Vincent Kompany is looking for a substitute at Anfield.
When it comes to strengthening their hand for next season’s title defence, the Premier League champions aren’t wasting any time.
Liverpool won their second league title of the Premier League era and promptly signed right-back Jeremie Frimpong, who should boost Arne Slot’s versatility on the flank following Trent Alexander-Arnold’s abrupt departure.
With the signing of left-back Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth looming, the Reds went big in the centre of the pitch with a record deal for German attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz, which may grow to £116 million if add-ons are met.
The more usual approach for a talented young German star who helps Bayer Leverkusen deny Bayern Munich the Bundesliga title – like Wirtz did with former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso in 2023-24 – is to simply switch clubs.
It was widely reported that Bayern had an interest in one of Europe’s most sought-after players, but Wirtz’s move to the Premier League has left the Bavarian giants looking for alternative acquisitions even as their Club World Cup campaign begins in earnest in the United States.
According to Liverpool.com, the German champions have turned their focus to Anfield in an attempt to entice Wirtz away from his consolation signing.
However, Bayern boss Vincent Kompany may face stiff competition from Barcelona and Slot for the services of Colombian winger Luis Diaz, who, like colleague Cody Gakpo, is wanted by both clubs.
“Bayern Munich has supposedly added Luis Diaz to its list of options,” claims Matt Addison.
Diaz has stated that he wants to continue at Liverpool if an agreement can be found to extend his contract, which expires in two years, and Slot is expected to want the same outcome.
Bayern were also interested in Barcelona-bound Nico Williams and Real Madrid star Rodrygo, but those dead ends have pushed them to Merseyside, along with Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola and Borussia Dortmund’s Jamie Gittens.
With a checklist like that, Bayern’s recruitment team will have little time to enjoy the squad’s Club World Cup matches.
Kompany’s team defeated semi-professionals Auckland City 10-0 in their first encounter and edged out Boca Juniors in the second.
Tuesday’s match against Benfica will only determine whether Bayern finishes top or second in the group, but the Lisbon squad must avoid defeat or they will be left hoping that Auckland can keep the score low against Boca.
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