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Liverpool have made an offer to sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen(Image: 2025 Pau Barrena)

Manchester United’s failure to sign their 'top target' Florian Wirtz is set to come back to haunt them as Liverpool ramp up negotiations for the German sensation.

Liverpool are currently in talks with Bayer Leverkusen after convincing Wirtz and his representatives that his future lies in Merseyside.

The 22-year-old playmaker's family recently flew to Liverpool to look at houses in the north west of England, having been impressed with Arne Slot’s vision for him and the Premier League winners going forward.

The Reds have since submitted an opening bid of £85million (€100m) plus add-ons for the Germany international after receiving the green light from owners Fenway Sports Group.

That sum falls considerably short of Leverkusen’s valuation of the player, with the German side understood to be holding out for a deal that would break the Premier League transfer record, set by Chelsea’s £106m move for Enzo Fernandez in 2023.

Yet, Wirtz’s preference to join Liverpool over Bayern Munich means the Premier League champions are currently the frontrunners in the race to secure their long-term target’s signature.

The news will be particularly poorly received in Red Devils circles after they passed up the opportunity to sign him three-and-a-half years ago.

Wirtz at the time was enjoying a meteoric rise at Leverkusen, becoming the club’s youngest ever player in the Bundesliga with his debut coming shortly after his 17th birthday in March 2020.

With eight goals and eight assists the following season, he earned a call-up to the senior Germany squad in March 2021.

The Sun reported at the time that Rangnick had hoped the draw of the Premier League and Old Trafford could persuade Wirtz to join United.

He played a pivotal role as Leverkusen completed an unbeaten domestic double last season, which put him on the radar of clubs like Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Chelsea.

Florian Wirtz is understood to favour a move to Liverpool this summer(Image: PA)

Newly-crowned German champions Bayern were quietly confident that they could complete a deal this summer for Wirtz, who is under contract with Leverkusen until 2027.

Florian is our player.”

The blockbuster deal for Wirtz is just one part of Liverpool’s plans for the summer transfer window, with his Leverkusen team-mate Jeremie Frimpong also heading for Anfield in a £29.5m deal, while Bournemouth defender Milos Kerkez is also of interest.

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