Speaking on the Sport1 programme Doppelpass (via Sky Germany), Bayer Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro has revealed the club tried to keep Florian Wirtz in the summer.
Before the Köln native’s move to the Premier League, there were rumours that he could potentially extend his contract at Leverkusen, with a release clause inserted in the deal. Carro opened up on the matter:
“We were cautious with the salaries of our new signings and didn’t want any imbalance. But with Florian, we would have been prepared to make an exception. To a level that Bayer 04 Leverkusen had never seen before,”
Later adding:
“In the end, Bayern and Liverpool can pay much more, but it would have been an exceptional level for Bayer Leverkusen. We were prepared to cross a line to extend his contract,”
The 22-year-old was at the centre of a transfer saga between Liverpool and Bayern Munich before he ultimately decided to move to the Premier League champions. Carro revealed part of Wirtz’s reasoning for moving to England:
“In the end, Florian decided for himself what he wanted to do. He alone, as a player. He doesn’t have any external advisors. His parents fully respect Florian’s wishes. He’s someone who wants to win the Champions League . We won the German championship, but he saw that the Champions League would be difficult with Leverkusen.”
Since his move to England, Wirtz has had a slow start as he adapts to a new league and team. After an assist in the Community Shield against Crystal Palace, the 22-year-old has shown flashes of his skill and provided two assists in the Champions League 5-1 win against Eintracht Frankfurt.
