Transfer Talk: Liverpool join race to sign Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz
The summer transfer window has closed throughout Europe, but there are still moves in the works and plenty of gossip swirling around. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals!
Liverpool are growing increasingly interested in Bayer Leverkusen attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz, as has been reported by The Daily Star. There are a number of clubs looking at the talented 20-year-old, including Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Chelsea, but Liverpool are now entering the picture for the player rated at £80m.
Jurgen Klopp is a big admirer of the Germany international, who has scored six goals and provided nine assists in 15 matches across all competitions this season. So much so that the Reds manager believes he could potentially fill the void left by Mohamed Salah if the Egyptian departs, with there being expectations that the 31-year-old could leave in June despite turning down offers from Saudi Arabia last summer.
While Liverpool already have plenty of depth in the attacking department, signing a player of Wirtz’s calibre would be irresistible, and the feeling is that Klopp’s reputation and contacts in Germany guarantee that they can be genuine contenders to sign him. However, chances of signing the attacking talent in January are said to be nonexistent if Bayer Leverkusen are still in the race for the Bundesliga title — they currently sit top, two points above second-placed Bayern Munich.
Manchester United have also shown an interest in Wirtz but are now out of the picture.
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PAPER GOSSIP (by Danny Lewis)
– Corriere dello Sport have offered an update on Juventus‘ search for a midfielder in the absence of Paul Pogba and Nicolo Fagioli due to suspension. It is stated that I Bianconeri are looking at Shakhtar Donetsk‘s Heorhii Sudako, Nice‘s Khephren Thuram, Tottenham Hotspur‘s Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Udinese‘s Lazar Samardzic and Napoli‘s Piotr Zielinski.
– There is also insight into Juventus’ search for a defender with Alex Sandro‘s contract ending in the summer, this time coming from La Gazzetta dello Sport. I Bianconeri are focusing their attention on players who could be free agents in the summer, specifically looking at Lille‘s Tiago Djaló, AFC Bournemouth‘s Lloyd Kelly and Atletico Madrid‘s Mario Hermoso.
– Speaking to Sky Sports Deutschland before Bayern Munich’s 4-0 win over Borussia Dortmund in Der Klassiker, Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen admitted that the club could make signings in the January transfer window. “If we consider it necessary to strengthen ourselves in one place or another, we will do that,” he said, adding: “We still have top quality in the squad. But that doesn’t mean that we don’t want to get even stronger.”
– Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Eric Dier wants to leave the club as a free agent rather than departing in January, according to Football Insider. The 29-year-old still hasn’t played a single minute this season and Spurs would be willing to listen to January offers, although Dier wants to hold out until the summer as he feels that he would have more options.
– Aston Villa are ready to listen to offers for midfielder Leander Dendoncker in January, according to Football Insider. The 28-year-old was close to joining Fenerbahce in the summer window but terms couldn’t be agreed and the deal collapsed, and Villa are now looking to find the Belgian a loan or permanent move as he has played just 118 minutes across all competitions this season.
