Leverkusen director: Liverpool have 'concrete interest' in Wirtz

Premier League champions Liverpool have "concrete interest" in Bayer Leverkusen's in-demand midfielder Florian Wirtz, the German club's sporting director Simon Rolfes confirmed on Monday.

At a press conference announcing former Manchester United coach Erik Ten Hag will take over as manager after Xabi Alonso's departure for Real Madrid, Rolfes said Liverpool were chasing Wirtz but a deal was not yet done.

"He's our player. ... No question there's a lot of interest," Rolfes said. "It's an open topic with Florian, we'll see.

"That there's concrete interest from Liverpool, that's clear, but there's nothing more to say at the moment."

Liverpool have been linked with a big-money move for the 22-year-old, who recently visited Merseyside.

Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro previously said he would not let Wirtz leave for less than 150 million euros (125 million pounds, $170 million), which would make him Liverpool's record signing and among the most expensive players of all time.

Bayern Munich were also in hot pursuit of the midfielder but German media reported that Wirtz has his sights set on Liverpool.

Sitting alongside Rolfes, Ten Hag praised the midfielder but would not reveal whether he would get the chance to manage him next season.

"He's definitely a great player and I've watched him with great pleasure in the past few years and followed his development. I'm very happy he plays for Leverkusen and I'm happy for him and his development.

"In professional football you never know until the first of September."

A hyped junior talent, Wirtz joined Leverkusen from local rivals Cologne in the summer of 2020.

The midfielder was crucial as Leverkusen broke through to win their first league title in 2023-24, with Wirtz named Bundesliga player of the season.