Germany and Bayer Leverkusen playmaker Florian Wirtz has kept fans and clubs guessing about his future, Soccernet.football reports.
Wirtz had a standout season with Bayer Leverkusen, scoring 11 goals and providing 11 assists in 33 Bundesliga games, helping the team to a first-ever German championship title.
His performance has drawn interest from major clubs across Europe, including Liverpool, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich. Wirtz is currently under contract with Bayer Leverkusen until 2027.
In a recent interview with Kicker, the 21-year-old German international was asked about his transfer plans for the next season. However, Wirtz remained non-committal.
“I don’t have a roadmap, so I don’t have an idea in mind yet about it. I’m really happy to be able to play football again after the summer break. I’ll try to achieve my goals with the team first. Then we’ll see what happens, but I don’t have a roadmap,” Wirtz said.
Reflecting on his aspirations, Wirtz is set to make his Champions League debut under Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen.
“I aspire to be a top footballer and that’s why I want to challenge myself against others. If you want to be a great player, you have to compete in the Champions League,” he acknowledged.
There is already speculation in Germany about Bayer Leverkusen valuing Wirtz at 130 million euros. His impressive stats last season—18 goals and 20 assists in 49 games—highlight his potential.
Wirtz, though, remains focused on improving his skills, stating, “I can enhance all my skills. I can work on getting faster, better at heading the ball, and many other things.”
He also emphasized the importance of teamwork and staying injury-free, recalling a serious injury that sidelined him for almost a year.
Wirtz was one of Germany’s key players this summer as the Euro 2024 hosts made a disappointing early exit from the tournament.
Germany’s quarterfinal exit in the European Championship against Spain still lingers for Wirtz.
“It was a tough loss and very disheartening. We were hoping to at least make it to penalties,” he expressed. Despite the disappointment, he remains positive about the future. “In the end, Spain deserved to win the tournament. We can be proud of what we accomplished.”
The German Bundesliga returns this month and Wirtz and Bayer Leverkusen will look to retain the title they won without suffering a defeat last term.
As the new season approaches, Wirtz is aware of the challenges ahead.
“Bayern has added some new players who will definitely make it stronger, but the gap between Bayern and other top teams is not as wide as before,” Wirtz added.
“We’re not afraid of anyone. We aim to win every game. However, we won’t be overconfident. We’ll aim to beat Bayern, but they are still Bayern Munich, always a tough opponent. Leipzig and Stuttgart also had strong performances last season. At the top, the competition has become closer,” Wirtz concluded.