Bayern Munich could not match Liverpool's financial firepower in Florian Wirtz pursuit, says club executive | OneFootball

Wirtz is set to join Liverpool for a fee in excess of £100million

The Bayer Leverkusen forward is set to become a club record signing for the Reds, with the nine-figure deal set to be completed in the coming days.

Wirtz, who tallied 22 Bundesliga goal involvements last season, was a hot property heading into the early transfer mini-window, and Bayern were as keen as Liverpool to secure his services.

Eberl has now admitted that Bayern simply could not match the financial enthusiasm of the Premier League champions despite rating him highly.

"If I'm honest, I don't know if we could have paid what Liverpool are apparently paying now," Eberl said, speaking to Sky Germany.

"Florian Wirtz is an outstanding player. We could have imagined signing him. But when a door closes, another opens."

The Bundesliga champions have reportedly earmarked Chelsea’s Christopher Nkunku as a potential alternative, and could get a good look at him at this summer’s Club World Cup, which both clubs are set to attend.

Eberl, a former Bayern Munich player, said he is looking forward to the tournament despite it being something of a voyage into the unknown.

He continued: “[It is] a bit of a journey into the unknown. We don't really know what to expect yet.

“Other teams are more familiar with the conditions here. We're trying to prepare as best we can and are obviously here to win the games and progress as far as we can."

Bayern will now be without Leroy Sane for the summer competition after he completed a free transfer to Galatasaray on Thursday, but Eberl is not concerned by his departure.

"The focus is on the squad we have here. We've brought along some young players, and now we've added two Germany internationals in Tom Bischof and Jonathan Tah, who have come in on free transfers. That's already a big step.

“We have a clear plan on how we want to implement things. But there's still a lot to do. I'm certain we will have a very strong squad."

Bayern will face New Zealand’s Auckland City, Portugal’s Benfica, and Argentina’s Boca Juniors in the Club World Cup group stage.