Bayern Munich have been left absolutely gutted after Florian Wirtz told them to do one and chose a move to the Premier League with Liverpool instead. What a mug!
Wirtz set to become the next footy superstar
That's according to some German football know-it-all called Raphael Honigstein, who's tipped the young lad to become English football's 'next superstar', ahead of his £116.5million move from Bayer Leverkusen. Blimey, that's a lot of dosh!
Liverpool are forking out an initial fee of £100m that could rise to £116.5m. That smashes the previous British transfer record of £115m that Chelsea splashed out on Moises Caicedo in August 2023. Mental!
The Germany international has been tearing it up at Leverkusen, playing a massive part as they won the Bundesliga in 2024. He even bagged the league's 2023/24 Player of the Year gong, and has racked up 34 goals and 33 assists over the past two seasons. Not too shabby, eh?
Unsurprisingly, loads of top clubs were sniffing around Wirtz, but Liverpool managed to fight them all off and get his signature. Manchester City and Real Madrid were both keen on the attacking midfielder, but he was expected to join Bayern, who were basically drooling over him.
Bayern left with egg on their face
The Bavarians are notorious for pinching the best talents from their rival clubs, so it's a proper kick in the teeth for them to see Wirtz pack his bags and head off to England. Honigstein reckons it's a massive blow for German football.
He told some show called the Trans Europe Express: "For the Bundesliga, it's a shame to not see him for a little bit longer. I think he's going to be the next superstar like De Bruyne, like Haaland, that people would have liked to see a bit longer."
"Bayern feel, of course, that they have missed out. They've been very vocal about trying to get him in, and now they're left looking like right muppets!"
Despite the disappointment of losing one of their best players, Honigstein thinks loads of German footy fans will be buzzing to follow Wirtz's next chapter at a massive Premier League club. He even compared it to Jurgen Klopp's legendary stint as Liverpool manager.
Klopp guided the Reds to Premier League and Champions League glory during his nine years at Anfield between 2015 and 2024. Not a bad little run, that!
Wirtz set to take Liverpool to new heights
Honigstein reckons Wirtz's arrival in England will have a similar impact to Klopp's exploits at Liverpool. He said: "I think German football will be happy. It's not the Bundesliga, but it is Florian Wirtz playing, just like Klopp was coaching, at such a massive club in the Premier League."
"I think the attention will be huge for him, and more people than ever before will watch Liverpool with him, trying to figure out where his journey is heading, what his role will be."
He added: "Wirtz is just going to go bigger and bigger. He's not going to be on the screen as much as he would have been with Bayern, but a lot of people will tune in mostly on Sundays, I suspect, when he plays with Liverpool at 4:30."
