Florian Wirtz criticised after Liverpool transfer U-turn – ‘It’s a shame’

The agreement includes a substantial upfront payment, with the remainder tied to performance-based bonuses that could set a new benchmark for British transfers.

Manchester City and Bayern Munich were both in the running for the 22-year-old, with City eyeing him as a successor to Kevin De Bruyne before stepping back due to financial constraints.

Bayern also missed out, reportedly losing ground after Wirtz was swayed by Liverpool boss Arne Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes.

Watzke, however, lamented the fact that such a promising German talent is heading abroad, saying he would have much preferred to see Wirtz remain in the Bundesliga with Bayern.

“It’s a real shame, especially for the DFL (German Football League), that a player like Florian Wirtz is disappearing from the Bundesliga,” Watzke told kicker. “I wouldn’t have had a problem at all if he had gone to FC Bayern.

“That would have been better for the Bundesliga. He could have played better with Musiala in Munich, but two such good footballers find each other anyway.”

Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich has voiced his concerns following the club’s unsuccessful pursuit of Florian Wirtz, noting that the squad now lacks depth in attack.

He pointed to the departures of Leroy Sane, who has signed with Galatasaray, and Thomas Müller, who is set to leave once his contract runs out, as key losses that have left the team needing reinforcements.

“You’ll have to ask the club what their plans are,” Kimmich said. “Of course, you have the feeling that we could do something – with Flo (Wirtz) not coming, with Leroy leaving, with Thomas leaving.

“I was surprised that (Sane) is going to Turkey. I didn’t expect that. But it’s his decision and he’ll have his reasons for it.”

Kimmich made his remarks following Bayern sporting director Max Eberl’s admission that the club couldn’t compete financially with Liverpool’s offer for Florian Wirtz.

Eberl acknowledged that the scale of Liverpool’s bid was beyond Bayern’s reach, prompting Kimmich to highlight the need for attacking reinforcements in light of the missed opportunity.

“I am sure that we will have a competitive team – and that we will also have the finances under control,” Eberl said.

“If I’m honest, I don’t know if we could have paid what Liverpool are apparently paying now. Florian Wirtz is an outstanding player. We could have imagined signing him. But when a door closes, another opens.

“The focus is on the squad we have here. We’ve brought along some young players, and now we’ve added two Germany internationals in Tom Bischof and Jonathan Tah, who have come in on free transfers. That’s already a big step.”