Liverpool paid a record-breaking fee to acquire the services of Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen, and Thomas Muller feels the price was 'unreal'.
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- Muller speaks his mind of Wirtz's move to Liverpool
- Surprised to see such high fees being paid
- Certain that fellow German will thrive at Anfield
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Bayern Munich icon Muller has commented on Wirtz's record-breaking transfer to Liverpool with a philosophical assessment. Bayern were among the teams who expressed interest in signing the young German attacking midfielder, but Liverpool eventually won the race and signed him for a fee reported in the region of £116 million (€137m/$158m).
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
Having spent 10 years at the Koln academy, Leverkusen snapped up Wirtz in January 2020, with the-then 16-year-old immediately breaking through into the first team. In five-and-a-half seasons at the BayArena, Wirtz made 197 appearances and scored 57 goals, playing an instrumental role in Die Werkself's first-ever league title at the end of the 2023-24 season. Liverpool paid a British record fee last month, with Wirtz now set to light up Anfield and the Premier League.
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WHAT THOMAS MULLER SAID
Speaking on the exorbitant transfer fee paid for Wirtz's services, Muller told : "What's 150 million? It's unreal. It's just a number between clubs. Who can feel what 150 million means? You can't get Neymar (who moved from Barca to PSG for €222m in 2017), but you can plant many trees with that."
However, Muller has no doubt that Wirtz will quickly settle in at the English champions, adding: "Florian fits in everywhere. He's not only a very good footballer, but also mentally very strong. At the end of the day, we're used to dealing with [big transfer fees]. The expectations are so high anyway."
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WHAT'S NEXT?
While Wirtz is about to start pre-season training with Liverpool, Muller is currently still playing for Bayern in the Club World Cup. On Saturday, the German champions will face Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain in a quarter-final clash. Muller will leave Die Roten after the tournament, having spent a total of 25 years with the club. It is still unclear where he will continue his career, but a move to the MLS is considered likely.
