Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version or go back to LFC Live.net

Image Credits: Getty Images

Bayer Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro has penned an open letter explaining the Florian Wirtz deal.

There is a legitimate argument to crown the 22-year-old as one of Bayer Leverkusen’s greatest ever players, if not the best.

Since his Bundesliga debut at 17, Wirtz has rewritten Leverkusen’s record books.

The youngest BayArena debutant and youngest Bundesliga scorer, he ended his Leverkusen career with 35 goals and 45 assists in just 140 appearances.

His brilliance peaked in the 2023/24 campaign: crowned Bundesliga Player of the Season, he fired in 11 goals and 12 assists to spearhead Leverkusen’s first unbeaten title run and DFB-Pokal triumph.

Beyond raw numbers, his ability to orchestrate play and deliver decisive moments made him Die Werkself’s talisman.

And it certainly seems to have led to the club’s CEO, Fernando Carro, penning a long open message on LinkedIn explaining his feelings on the deal – and revealing how Leverkusen felt about the transfer.

He revealed that money was not the motivator, and that he and the club tried hard to convince the player maker to remain:

“Many people have contacted me to congratulate us for the dimension of the transfer of Florian Wirtz to Liverpool Football Club,” the Leverkusen chief began.

“I understand this point of view, of course, and I see the economic impact that it has in our favor.”

“But people need to understand: As the CEO of Bayer 04 Leverkusen it has never been my primary goal to maximize financial profit.”

“My clear primary goal is sportive success for this club.

Therefore we tried very hard to convince Florian to stay with us.

And it hurts, that we could not make it happen.”

Carro explained that he ultimately felt obliged to accept the wishes of the 22-year-old, who made it clear he wanted to make the switch to Anfield:

“In the end, Florian’s wish was to take the chance to play for Liverpool,” he explained

“We felt we needed to respect his wish – and, given these circumstances, to try making a win win situation out of it: For the player, being able to join his favorite option, and for us to strongly improve the economic resources for the future of Bayer 04 Leverkusen.”

He finished off by praising Wirtz as a club legend:

“Florian came more than five years ago, as a talent.”

“Now he leaves as a club legend, undoubtedly being a crucial part of this clubs’ (more than) 120 years history.”

“If you receive honors like this at the age of 22, it is truly and simply unique?

For me, Florian Wirtz will always be a part of this organization.

“Now we move on, lots of work to do in order to stay strong, hungry – and successful,” he finished off with.

Want to get the latest Liverpool news direct to your phone