Were Liverpool second choice?! Florian Wirtz 'definitely' would have joined Real Madrid if Los Blancos had made transfer offer, Bayer Leverkusen chief claims
Bayer Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro has suggested that Liverpool were not Florian Wirtz’s first choice when it came to a big-money transfer, with the Germany international favouring a switch to Spanish giants Real Madrid. He is, however, at Anfield after completing a £116 million ($152m) move that briefly broke recruitment records in Great Britain.Wirtz became one of the most sought-after talents in world football on the back of Bundesliga title-winning exploits at Leverkusen. He became a regular source of goals and assists there, with his creative qualities of obvious interest to the biggest clubs on the planet. Real were reported to be sniffing around before exit doors opened at the BayArena, while Bayern Munich are forever in the market for players that have proved themselves domestically in German football.Liverpool ultimately won the race for his prized signature, with a nine-figure sum required in order to get that deal done. Wirtz has made a slow start to his spell in England, however, with his competitive goal account yet to be opened for the reigning Premier League champions, and the odd stint on the bench already being taken in.He may be wondering whether the right career call was made, as heading to Madrid alongside former Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso would have presented him with a different kind of challenge. That is one that Carro claims the 22-year-old was willing to take on.The CEO has told Sport1 of Leverkusen’s efforts to keep the homegrown star on their books for at least 12 more months: “The Wirtz family and Florian knew that extending his contract was our top priority. We were very cautious with salaries during the summer transfers. But we would have been prepared to make an exception for Florian. We were prepared to push the boundaries and give everything to extend his contract. And for a while, it looked like it might work out. In the end, Florian decided for himself what he wanted to do. The parents are his advisors, and I think it’s good that they fully respect Florian’s wishes.”Carro added on Real’s appeal to Wirtz, with the highly-rated playmaker eager to compete for European glory, and why an offer from the Spanish capital never materialised: “He’s someone who wants to win the Champions League. We thought that with this team we would have been capable of going further than we did. He saw that we had won the Bundesliga title, but winning the Champions League with Bayer Leverkusen might be more difficult.“He would definitely have gone to Madrid if Xabi had made the offer. But Xabi has less say at Madrid than he does with us. One of Alonso’s greatest strengths was his ability to work with our scouting department to define who needed to be in our team. Florentino Perez decides the transfers, not Xabi Alonso.”Bayern were another of those to opt against making a move, with their own CEO - Jan-Christian Dreesen - saying that they could have competed with Liverpool if the terms were right. He has said: “We can afford any transfer we want. We have an excellent capital ratio. FC Bayern is doing very well. But we want to be able to pay a player – without having to run to the bank. That's not FC Bayern's DNA. The bottom team in the English league, at €125m, has €60m more in media revenue than us. Liverpool has €200m, while FC Barcelona and Real Madrid each have €160m.”Wirtz was given just 13 minutes off the bench by Liverpool as they returned to winning ways last time out against Aston Villa. Alternative options were favoured by Arne Slot in midfield and attacking departments, with Wirtz being asked to fill an impact role.He is considered far too talented to occupy a space among the substitutes on a regular basis, with there still plenty of potential in his game to be unlocked. Liverpool have struggled for form as a collective early in the 2025-26 campaign, but star performers are expected to shine once fresh faces have settled and Slot settles on a system that suits those at his disposal.
Bayer Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro has suggested that Liverpool were not Florian Wirtz’s first choice when it came to a big-money transfer, with the Germany international favouring a switch to Spanish giants Real Madrid. He is, however, at Anfield after completing a £116 million ($152m) move that briefly broke recruitment records in Great Britain.Wirtz became one of the most sought-after talents in world football on the back of Bundesliga title-winning exploits at Leverkusen. He became a regular source of goals and assists there, with his creative qualities of obvious interest to the biggest clubs on the planet. Real were reported to be sniffing around before exit doors opened at the BayArena, while Bayern Munich are forever in the market for players that have proved themselves domestically in German football.Liverpool ultimately won the race for his prized signature, with a nine-figure sum required in order to get that deal done. Wirtz has made a slow start to his spell in England, however, with his competitive goal account yet to be opened for the reigning Premier League champions, and the odd stint on the bench already being taken in.He may be wondering whether the right career call was made, as heading to Madrid alongside former Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso would have presented him with a different kind of challenge. That is one that Carro claims the 22-year-old was willing to take on.The CEO has told Sport1 of Leverkusen’s efforts to keep the homegrown star on their books for at least 12 more months: “The Wirtz family and Florian knew that extending his contract was our top priority. We were very cautious with salaries during the summer transfers. But we would have been prepared to make an exception for Florian. We were prepared to push the boundaries and give everything to extend his contract. And for a while, it looked like it might work out. In the end, Florian decided for himself what he wanted to do. The parents are his advisors, and I think it’s good that they fully respect Florian’s wishes.”Carro added on Real’s appeal to Wirtz, with the highly-rated playmaker eager to compete for European glory, and why an offer from the Spanish capital never materialised: “He’s someone who wants to win the Champions League. We thought that with this team we would have been capable of going further than we did. He saw that we had won the Bundesliga title, but winning the Champions League with Bayer Leverkusen might be more difficult.“He would definitely have gone to Madrid if Xabi had made the offer. But Xabi has less say at Madrid than he does with us. One of Alonso’s greatest strengths was his ability to work with our scouting department to define who needed to be in our team. Florentino Perez decides the transfers, not Xabi Alonso.”Bayern were another of those to opt against making a move, with their own CEO - Jan-Christian Dreesen - saying that they could have competed with Liverpool if the terms were right. He has said: “We can afford any transfer we want. We have an excellent capital ratio. FC Bayern is doing very well. But we want to be able to pay a player – without having to run to the bank. That's not FC Bayern's DNA. The bottom team in the English league, at €125m, has €60m more in media revenue than us. Liverpool has €200m, while FC Barcelona and Real Madrid each have €160m.”Wirtz was given just 13 minutes off the bench by Liverpool as they returned to winning ways last time out against Aston Villa. Alternative options were favoured by Arne Slot in midfield and attacking departments, with Wirtz being asked to fill an impact role.He is considered far too talented to occupy a space among the substitutes on a regular basis, with there still plenty of potential in his game to be unlocked. Liverpool have struggled for form as a collective early in the 2025-26 campaign, but star performers are expected to shine once fresh faces have settled and Slot settles on a system that suits those at his disposal.
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