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Florian Wirtz is expected to join Liverpool(Image: Getty)

Liverpool are closing in on a deal for Florian Wirtz, but the entire saga could drag on for a while after Koln sent a message to Bayer Leverkusen.

Liverpool have made two bids for Wirtz, with Leverkusen holding out for £126million.

An agreement is expected to be reached between the two parties, though, with Wirtz having made it clear that he wants to move to Anfield.



However, things have now become slightly more complicated after a statement from Koln president Werner Wolf.

Wirtz joined Koln's youth setup in 2010 before making a controversial switch to Leverkusen in January 2020.

When Leverkusen signed a then 17-year-old Wirtz in 2020, Koln felt they had broken the agreement.

However, Leverkusen claimed they had not as they viewed Wirtz as a first-team player and the midfielder ended up making his senior debut for the club five months after signing for them.

Now that Wirtz is on the verge of completing a big-money move to Liverpool, Koln are due to receive a portion of the fee.

READ MORE:Transfer news LIVE: Gyokeres makes Man Utd U-turn, Arsenal want Rodrygo, Wirtz to Liverpool latestREAD MORE:Florian Wirtz to Liverpool: Manager gives verdict on transfer after Real Madrid 'surprise'

And according to a report from BILD, the situation is set to become a 'million-dollar dispute' after comments from the club's president.

The higher the sum Liverpool is willing to pay, the better for us."

According to FIFA's rules, any club that has played a role in a player's development between the age of 12 and 23 will receive five per cent of any transfer fee as 'training compensation' and Wirtz was at Koln for nine-and-a-half years from the age of seven.

Wirtz's move looks set to be at the centre of a dispute between Bayer Leverkusen and Koln(Image: Getty Images)

As a result, Koln could be due around £6.3m if Liverpool end up paying Leverkusen's £126m asking price and it is claimed that they are set to engage with the FIFA Clearing House to ensure they receive the highest payout possible.

Koln are said to be planning to argue that Wirtz's 'training' period concluded long before he turned 23 as he debuted for Leverkusen at 17 and made his full international debut for Germany when he was 18.

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