Florian Wirtz agent reveals he pushed for Madrid move before Liverpool switch

"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. Xabi replied: You don't have to tell me that, you have to tell Florentino Perez (Real Madrid's president)."

Florian Wirtz's agent, Volker Struth, revealed efforts to arrange a transfer to Real Madrid during the previous summer transfer window. Struth contacted then-Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso, who had previously worked with Wirtz at Bayer Leverkusen, encouraging him to pursue the German international. Alonso acknowledged Wirtz's quality but directed Struth to Real Madrid president Florentino Perez. Despite these efforts, Liverpool secured Wirtz's signature in a 116 million euro deal. Wirtz had demonstrated strong performances for Leverkusen, contributing to their first-ever Bundesliga title in 2023/24.

Read at www.independent.co.uk