Meeting held: Liverpool not giving up hope of hijacking move for £126m ‘dream player’ | OneFootball

Liverpool have reportedly taken steps to try and pull off what’d be one of the most eye-catching transfer hijacks anywhere in world football this year.

The Reds have been linked on and off with Florian Wirtz for the past several months, with Arsenal and Manchester City also in hot pursuit of the Bayer Leverkusen playmaker (CaughtOffside).

The Premier League trio’s hopes of signing the Germany international appeared to have ended last week after SPORT BILD reported that he informed his manager Xabi Alonso (who’s set to take charge of Real Madrid) that the only club he wants to join is Bayern Munich, who regard him as their ‘dream player‘.

However, an update from Bundesliga insider Christian Falk this afternoon (via CF Bayern Insider) suggests that Liverpool haven’t given up on trying to sign the 22-year-old.

Liverpool chiefs meet with Florian Wirtz

Anfield chiefs are believed to have met with Wirtz on Tuesday, with the Leverkusen star and his family also engaging in negotiations with Man City.

The meeting with LFC was planned in advance and not spontaneous, although the Premier League champions may have to push the boat out to an unprecedented level to snap him up, with last year’s Europa League finalists possibly demanding as much as €150m (£126.3m) for the player.

The report adds that Bayern remain confident of signing the Germany international, who’s seemingly given his word that he’ll move to the newly-crowned Bundesliga champions, with the Munich giants planning to submit an offer to the tune of €100m (£84.2m).

(Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)

Can Liverpool convince Wirtz to snub Bayern Munich?

Liverpool may still have two more matches to play this season, but Richard Hughes certainly appears to be wasting no time in trying to strengthen Arne Slot’s squad for their attempted Premier League title defence.

The Reds are seemingly edging closer to snapping up Wirtz’s teammate Jeremie Frimpong, in addition to meeting with the 22-year-old as they seek to execute a double raid on Leverkusen.

If the playmaker has pledged to join Bayern, it could take an extremely persuasive effort from Hughes to lure him to Merseyside instead, but it’s encouraging that the Anfield hierarchy have been so proactive in trying to make a couple of standout moves so early in the summer.

Hailed as a ‘genius‘ by Alonso, the Germany international has hit double figures for both goals and assists in the last two Bundesliga campaigns, so he can evidently offer a significant attacking threat from behind the forward line, something Liverpool haven’t truly had since Philippe Coutinho was at the club.

Will anything come from the reported meeting with Wirtz on Tuesday? Maybe, maybe not, but the ambition of the LFC powerbrokers is exactly what many fans will want to see prior to the transfer window commencing on 1 June.