Sky reporter: Leverkusen could make one request to Liverpool in order to accelerate Wirtz deal | OneFootball

It’s looking increasingly likely that Bayer Leverkusen will bid farewell to Florian Wirtz in the near future, but they’re understandably determined to get the best possible deal for themselves if they’re to sell the playmaker.

Liverpool have already made two offers for the Germany international, the latest of which amounted to £109m, and Fabrizio Romano reported on Monday morning that the Merseysiders remain confident of striking an agreement for the 22-year-old.

It’s been reported that the BayArena outfit are holding out for €150m (£126.4m) for their number 10, and even if they don’t quite receive that sum up-front, there might be another way for the two clubs to reach a mutually satisfactory deal.

Leverkusen could seek Liverpool player in exchange for Wirtz

On Sunday evening, Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg took to X with an update on the Leverkusen star, with his club potentially hoping that Liverpool will include one of their players as part of the eventual transaction.

The journalist posted: ‘Bayer 04 Leverkusen have the idea to include Harvey Elliott or Jarell Quansah in the deal for Florian Wirtz. There’s no final decision on this yet, but talks are ongoing.’

Could Elliott be sacrificed to Leverkusen so that Liverpool sign Wirtz?

Plettenberg had previously hinted at the possibility of a player-plus-cash deal being arranged between the two clubs, and German outlet Fussball Transfers had claimed that Elliott is on Leverkusen’s wish list for the summer, so there’s a plausible chance that the 22-year-old is offered to the Bundesliga runners-up.

Some might argue the case for Liverpool parting with a player who started just two Premier League games in 2024/25 if it helps to get Wirtz over the line and into Anfield, while others may feel that an extra £17m or so would be preferable to sacrificing our number 19.

Although the German outscored the Reds player by 16 goals to five this season, the latter was actually more efficient with his output for the time that he spent on the pitch, averaging a goal every 164.4 minutes compared to one every 274 minutes for the Leverkusen star.

(Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Perhaps Quansah might therefore be considered more disposable than Elliott, but considering the injury problems that LFC have had in defence over the past few months, getting rid of a centre-back could be risky unless a replacement is brought in.

Also, with Liverpool set to potentially bank £18m from the impending exit of Caoimhin Kelleher (though many Reds fans would justifiably argue that he’s worth a lot more), that income could bridge the gap to meet Leverkusen’s asking price for Wirtz without Arne Slot having to offload an outfield player as a makeweight in the deal.

There appears to be quite a few options open to the Merseysiders to ensure that they clinch the German’s signature, and we imagine that most supporters would be happy for any of those cards to be played so long as the 22-year-old is lining out at Anfield from the start of next season.