Florian Wirtz becomes 'Liverpool transfer target' after Arne Slot gets close look at forward

Liverpool has reportedly taken a 'step forward' with its supposed interest in Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz.

Wirtz has emerged as one of the best young players in the world in recent years and played a key role in Bayer Leverkusen's incredible 2023-24 season, when the German side suffered just one defeat in all competitions over the course of the season.

The 21-year-old went on to enjoy a good European Championship with Germany and has started this season in decent form, scoring seven goals in 16 appearances.

Wirtz was part of the Leverkusen side that was handily beaten by Liverpool at Anfield this week, with Luis Diaz netting a hat-trick and Cody Gakpo scoring in a 4-0 win for the Reds.

• Diogo Jota injury return date finally revealed by Liverpool boss Arne Slot

• Liverpool and Arne Slot get good Mohamed Salah news ahead of Aston Villa fixture

It is reported by Spanish outlet Fichajes (so you should take this with a pinch of salt) that both Liverpool and Chelsea have made contact with Wirtz's camp ahead of a possible swoop next summer.

With Wirtz under contract until 2027, Leverkusen is in a strong negotiating position and it is claimed that it will likely take a bid of more than $130 million to tempt the German club to sell the youngster.

Real Madrid has also been linked with a move for Wirtz, and with Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso potentially next in line for the Madrid manager's job, the 21-year-old could well end up at the Bernabeu with his current boss.

Meanwhile, TEAMtalk says that Manchester City and Bayern Munich are the two clubs that have shown the most concrete interest in Wirtz. City has an ageing group of midfielders, with Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Mateo Kovacic and Bernardo Silva all in their thirties, so Wirtz could well be targeted as part of a rebuild.

In February, his father and agent, Hans-Joachim Wirtz, said: “Florian has a contract in Leverkusen until 2027. That is roughly how long he will stay at Leverkusen. There’s no answer what will happen when. We should wait for the next two years and then we’ll see what happens.”