"During the period when a move to Liverpool or Bayern was being discussed, I called Xabi Alonso and told him: 'You have to take the lad from Leverkusen with you to Real.' 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. Florian Wirtz makes every team in the world better.'"
"It simply wasn't the right time due to the squad and the budget. Real Madrid mainly spent on defenders last summer, with the Wirtz fee amounting to a club record transfer outlay, surpassing even Jude Bellingham's £115 million arrival."
Volker Struth, an influential German football agent with involvement in Florian Wirtz's affairs, directly contacted Real Madrid to offer the midfielder prior to his £116 million transfer to Liverpool in June. Struth reached out to former Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso, who was receptive but directed him to Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez. Despite Struth's efforts to promote Wirtz as a player who improves any team, Real Madrid could not afford the transfer due to budget constraints and squad priorities. The club instead distributed funds across multiple signings including Dean Huijsen, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Álvaro Carreras, and Franco Mastantuono. Struth maintains personal ambitions to facilitate a future Wirtz move to Madrid.
Read at SI
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