An agent linked to Florian Wirtz has admitted attempting to persuade Real Madrid to sign the attacking midfielder before his eventual £116 million transfer to Liverpool. Volker Struth, who looks after the player's marketing matters, revealed he contacted Real president Florentino Perez on behalf of then-coach Xabi Alonso to push for a deal.
Wirtz resisted offers from Bayern Munich and Manchester City to join Liverpool last summer, and has since become a key player for Arne Slot's side, tallying six goals and five assists since the start of December. The 22-year-old's move took many by surprise, with Real Madrid also linked to a reunion with Alonso.
Speaking on the Phrasenmaher podcast, Struth said: “I called Xabi Alonso and told him: ‘You have to take the lad from Leverkusen with you to Real.’ Xabi replied: ‘You don’t have to tell me that, you have to tell Florentino Perez.’ So I actually sent him a message: ‘Dear Florentino, I’ve told you many times before: I have a player here whom I would highly recommend’.”
However, Struth conceded that the timing was not right for Madrid due to squad and budget constraints. “That year, it simply wasn’t the right time due to the squad and the budget. Even Real Madrid’s coffers aren’t always overflowing,” he said. Ultimately, only Liverpool, City and Bayern made formal approaches for Wirtz.
Wirtz missed Liverpool’s 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest on Sunday due to a back problem sustained during the warm-up, but the club expect him to be available for Saturday’s clash against West Ham United. Struth, who previously represented Toni Kroos at Real Madrid, added: “He’s doing quite well in Liverpool now, and who knows what might happen in his career.”
