Florian Wirtz has disclosed that Liverpool “truly persuaded” him to undertake a British record transfer from Bayer Leverkusen, acknowledging that it was not an easy choice to depart from his homeland of Germany.
On Friday evening, Wirtz became the most costly player ever acquired by a British club, finalizing a £116 million ($156.1 million) transfer from Bayer Leverkusen.
In recent seasons, the 22-year-old has emerged as one of the most thrilling talents in the Bundesliga, attracting significant interest from Manchester City and Bayern Munich, along with connections to Real Madrid.
Ultimately, Wirtz expressed his eagerness to join Liverpool to steer the process, suggesting that he had engaged in discussions with the club and was convinced that their visions and ambitions were in harmony with his own.
“I believed that it was the appropriate moment in my career to take the next step, and naturally, I aimed to join a club that ranks among the top three in the world, and in my view, Liverpool was one of them,” Wirtz articulated during a Q&A session with the club’s internal media.
“I envisioned myself being in the best hands at Liverpool.
I was genuinely impressed by the individuals here, by the concept, and everything the club provides me was exceptionally appealing.
Ultimately, it was also quite easy for me to feel enthusiastic about coming to Liverpool.”
However, although it was “easy to feel enthusiastic” once the decision was finalized, Wirtz initially required some persuasion.
The German talent clarified that it was particularly the conversations with Arne Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes that ultimately influenced his choice to join Liverpool.
“It was certainly not an easy decision for me,” he disclosed.
“As a German player representing the national team, I found it challenging to make a choice.
However, I believe the discussions with the coach, Richard, and everyone else were exceptionally positive from the very beginning, and this momentum continued.
Each time I interacted with someone from the club, I had the impression that ‘this is where I want to be,’ and ultimately, I became completely convinced that joining Liverpool was the right decision.
“Wirtz further mentioned that he had not anticipated Liverpool would become his next destination, but he was the first in his family—the player is represented by his father rather than an agency—who embraced the idea.
“I believe I was the first in my family to genuinely connect with this club when they reached out to us or expressed their interest in signing me,” he stated.
“I did not foresee Liverpool as my next club, but my family supported me, and I did not need to persuade them about the club or anything like that.