Liverpool summer signing ‘definitely’ wanted move to their rivals

Bayer Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro has revealed that Florian Wirtz’s preferred destination during transfer discussions was not Liverpool, but rather Real Madrid.

The German attacking midfielder joined Liverpool in the summer transfer window but his heart was actually set on a move to Real Madrid, where he would have worked under his former manager Xabi Alonso.

Under the guidance of Alonso, Wirtz won the Bundesliga title with Bayer Leverkusen.

Speaking to Sport1, Carro opened up about Leverkusen’s attempts to convince their star man to remain at the BayArena for at least another season.

“The Wirtz family and Florian knew that extending his contract was our top priority,” Carro explained.

“We were prepared to push our financial limits to keep him. For a while, it looked like it might work out, but in the end, Florian decided what he wanted to do.”

Carro went on to clarify that while Liverpool showed strong interest in Wirtz, the 22-year-old’s heart was set on joining Real Madrid, particularly because of the club’s enduring appeal to German players and the chance to play alongside world-class players.

“Florian would definitely have gone to Madrid if Xabi Alonso had made the offer,” Carro said.

“But Xabi has less influence on transfers there than he does with us. At Real Madrid, Florentino Pérez decides the transfers, not Alonso.”

Real Madrid showed interest in signing the Germany international star but their interest did not become concrete. There were reports in the summer that the Spanish giants want to sign Wirtz as the long term successor of Luka Modric.

Wirtz will come up against Real Madrid in the Champions League tonight and he would have the chance to prove himself to the Spanish giants that they missed out on a brilliant midfielder.

The match against Real Madrid would also provide him the opportunity to win over Liverpool fans who have still not seen the best of the German star at Anfield.

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