Florian Wirtz’s father reveals truth behind Manchester City transfer interest after Liverpool switch | OneFootball

The father and representative of Germany international and now Liverpool star Florian Wirtz has made a claim on reports of Manchester City interest that may surprise many.

While City have spent the summer assessing creative midfield reinforcements, it now appears that their reported interest in one of Europe’s most coveted young playmakers never developed into anything more concrete.

That’s according to the player’s father, who has lifted the lid on the behind-the-scenes conversations that ultimately led Florian Wirtz to join Liverpool instead of Pep Guardiola’s side or Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid.

City’s midfield planning has focused largely on fine-tuning the balance between established names and emerging talent, having secured Tijjani Reijnders, Nico Gonzalez, and Rayan Cherki in the last six months as part of that transition.

However, in the case of Wirtz, City were always wary of the competition they would face for the Bayer Leverkusen star, especially amid intensifying interest from Bayern Munich and Liverpool in particular.

And with a valuation exceeding €100 million and multiple parties involved in negotiations, Etihad officials were cautious about becoming entangled in a potentially protracted transfer saga — one which could lead them to a package deal in the region of €300 million.

Now, speaking during a new interview with German outlet Der Spiegel, the playmaker’s father Hans-Joachim Wirtz has been quizzed specifically on the notion of rival transfer interest from Real Madrid and Manchester City this summer.

“Several clubs were interested, but in the end, Bayern [Muncih] and Liverpool were the only serious contenders,” the father and representative of the new Anfield creative midfielder revealed.

“Arne Slot was able to convince Florian on a sporting level. He is also a very pleasant person. Florian’s best coaches were always those who gave him a lot of freedom. And those with the greatest empathy have also reached Florian,” he continued.

“He finds the game in England interesting because it thrives on pace and dynamism. Arne Slot presented his playing philosophy, the team tactics in possession and pressing, and how Florian can develop his strengths in it,” Wirtz senior added.

“That made a decisive impression on Florian. The training conditions in Liverpool were also totally impressive. Plus, Florian is now at a good age to move abroad. Once you have a family, you are no longer as independent.”

The revelation that City were not among the final clubs in serious contention for Wirtz will come as a surprise, especially given the club’s known interest in elite European prospects and how strongly the club were linked with the midfielder in European media reports.

The club’s transfer department is continuing to actively monitoring the long-term development of creative players within the City Football Group setup, with loan pathways and data-driven scouting helping to identify the next wave of options.

In the case of Wirtz, with Arne Slot offering a tailored sporting project and a prominent role from day one, Liverpool’s pitch ultimately resonated more than City’s wider succession planning.

For now, Pep Guardiola will look to extract further growth from the likes of Phil Foden, Oscar Bobb, and Rayan Cherki — but the door to future pursuits for players of Florian Wirtz’s magnitude is rarely ever fully closed.