Arne Slot’s clear plan for where Florian Wirtz would fit into the Liverpool team reportedly played a crucial role in him agreeing to join the Reds over Bayern Munich.

Liverpool has been in negotiations with Bayer Leverkusen over a deal for the 22-year-old, who was initially expected to join the German champions instead of the Premier League ’s top side.

Florian Wirtz to Liverpool £126m transfer twist as 'secret' Bayern meeting details emerge	Florian Wirtz made transfer phone call after Arne Slot sparked Liverpool U-turn	Liverpool has clear transfer priority once Florian Wirtz deal is completed

Vincent Kompany spoke to Wirtz for an hour and had a “lengthy one-on-one tactical discussion” on how he would operate in the team.

However, the Bayern head coach is said to have ended that meeting with “serious doubts” over whether the attacker would sign for the club.

Slot, meanwhile, did not encounter the same issue after he demonstrated a “clear model of a team in which the game would be rebuilt around Wirtz.” According to SZ, that is how Liverpool won the “long-distance duel.”

The report adds Wirtz met with key Bayern figures such as sporting director Max Eberl, plus board members Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Uli Hoeness, with a feeling among the hierarchy that the 2024/25 Bundesliga player of the year, could be a leader in the team for many years to come.

Wirtz is expected to sign for Liverpool in coming weeks.

There is now a sense that no one is to blame for the failure to sign Wirtz, with a commitment from the player’s parents leading Bayern to believe a transfer was likely