Report: One man at Liverpool is the ‘decisive factor’ as Wirtz set to choose Reds over Bayern | OneFootball

Liverpool now appear to be firmly in pole position to sign Florian Wirtz, and one man at Anfield has reportedly been pivotal towards the Reds holding the balance of power in this title race.

In the early hours of Saturday morning, Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg claimed that an agreement is expected to be reached imminently between LFC and Bayer Leverkusen, and that the 22-year-old and Jeremie Frimpong ‘will soon be Liverpool players’.

The journalist also mentioned that a move to Bayern Munich ‘fell through’, following previous claims from the player’s homeland that his heart was set on joining the Bundesliga champions.

Wirtz convinced by conversation with Slot

A report from German publication Kicker on Friday evening explained why Wirtz now seems set to opt for a move to the kings of the Premier League instead.

It’s claimed that, despite a growing confidence from Bayern that the 22-year-old would sign for them, he’s now informed the Munich hierarchy that he’s leaning towards a transfer to Liverpool.

A conversation with Arne Slot is understood to have been ‘a decisive factor’ in the Germany international’s preference for the Reds over their Bavarian counterparts, and it could now be a matter of LFC stumping up the necessary fee to strike a deal with Leverkusen.

(Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Slot’s pulling power evident as Wirtz seemingly prefers Liverpool

When the Dutchman was confirmed as Jurgen Klopp’s replacement as Liverpool head coach this time last year, many pundits doubted whether he could live up to his illustrious predecessor. Those naysayers are looking rather foolish now!

Not only has the 46-year-old won the Premier League with four games to spare in his first season in English football, he’s done so while also having to navigate an incredibly tricky situation whereby three of his first-team stalwarts in Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold were nearing the end of their contracts.

The former duo have mercifully signed on for another couple of years, and Wirtz’s apparent preference for LFC after speaking to Slot illustrates the pulling power of our current boss.

The player wants to join Liverpool, so it’s now over to Richard Hughes and FSG to put the funds on the table in order to convince Leverkusen to sell. Thankfully, that doesn’t appear to be an issue, even with the transfer fee likely to surpass the £100m mark.

Anfield appears to be becoming a hugely attractive destination for top European footballers once again, with the combination of on-field success and off-field stability and history helping to make Merseyside an easy sell for players.

Wirtz already seems to be fully sold on Slot, and hopefully that can help to tip the scales towards him being a Reds player from next season!