Bayern Munich Chief Opens Up About Intense Florian Wirtz Transfer War Against Liverpool
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the former CEO of Bayern Munich, has voiced his frustration following Liverpool's successful acquisition of Florian Wirtz ahead of the German giants.
Both Manchester City and Bayern Munich were reportedly pursuing the ex-Bayer Leverkusen sensation Wirtz during the summer transfer window, but it was the Premier League titleholders Liverpool who ultimately landed his signature for a deal that could reach £116 million ($156.1 million).
The Reds officially confirmed the acquisition of the 22-year-old creative midfielder on Friday, with the player expressing his enthusiasm for choosing Anfield over remaining in German football.
"I'm genuinely thrilled about this new chapter ahead of me," Wirtz commented during his inaugural Liverpool media appearance. "This was a significant factor in my decision-making process: my desire for something entirely fresh, to step away from the Bundesliga and experience the Premier League."
Nevertheless, Wirtz acknowledged that the choice wasn't straightforward initially and he hadn't anticipated Liverpool becoming his next destination.
The traditional German talent acquisitors Bayern will undoubtedly feel let down seeing Wirtz expand his career prospects and embrace a fresh challenge, with Rummenigge—a club icon now serving on the supervisory board for the Bavarians—expressing his dissatisfaction regarding the unsuccessful transfer attempt.
"In principle, I believe it's unfortunate," he shared with Welt am Sonntag. "We've consistently maintained the belief that Germany's finest players should represent FC Bayern. We invested maximum effort; in this instance, nobody committed an error. It's Florian's choice—and we must respect it."
Bayern had previously secured Jonathan Tah from Bundesliga champions Leverkusen on a free transfer in May but failed to persuade his national teammate to reject Liverpool's advances.
Wirtz will be reuniting with another former Leverkusen colleague on Merseyside, as ex-Leverkusen full-back Jeremie Frimpong had already joined the Reds during the summer window. Promising goalkeeper Ármin Pécsi has also become part of the 2024–25 Premier League champions' squad, while Bournemouth's Milos Kerkez is reportedly close to completing his Anfield transfer as well.
However, there's some positive news for Leverkusen. Liverpool's Jarell Quansah looks poised to move to the BayArena soon for approximately £34 million ($45.8 million), filling the defensive void left by Bayern-bound Tah and collaborating with former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag.