Manchester City didn't reject Florian Wirtz, he rejected them, and Pep Guardiola is to blame for the playmaker's imminent move to Liverpool.

Real Madrid have reportedly not lost hope of signing Liverpool target Florian Wirtz and believe they could launch a successful late hijack. Wirtz is widely expected to complete a move to the Premier League champions, but a deal with Bayer Leverkusen is not done yet.

Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy predicts it may be one in one out along the Reds' attacking line if Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz joins the club this summer

LIVERPOOL are in a race against time to seal the £126million record signing of Florian Wirtz before he joins up with Germany. Bayer Leverkusen star Wirtz is due to report for international duty

The latest Liverpool transfer news as the Reds are in negotiations with German side Bayer Leverkusen over a deal for Florian Wirtz this summer

Bayer Leverkusen managing director Simon Rolfes has confirmed Liverpool’s “concrete interest” in Florian Wirtz, with the Reds aiming to secure the mammoth signing at the start of the summer transfer window.

Florian Wirtz has been strongly linked with a summer transfer to Liverpool following interest from Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Real Madrid.

Florian Wirtz reportedly rejected a move to Manchester City over concerns Pep Guardiola would not remain in his role until the end of his contract. Liverpool’s pursuit of the German international took a significant step forward after the club approached Bayer Leverkusen over the weekend.

Another major problem for Liverpool is Chelsea. Since Sky Germany's original report, journalist Florian Plettenberg has noted the Conference League finalists are in “concrete talks” over a deal for Ekitiké. Understandably, the Blues want things wrapped up as quickly as possible because they are aware of Liverpool’s interest.

Frimpong beats Galan and crosses to Wirtz, who is still occupying that gap within Atletico’s two banks of four. From here, Wirtz has time to control the ball and fire a volley at goal, forcing Jan Oblak to make the save.

Florian Wirtz was going to get the ‘perfect gift’ of an ‘iconic’ Liverpool shirt and then his ‘dream’ was ‘blocked’. It’s a journey. Getting Wirtz and Wirtz It looks very much like Florian Wirtz is joining Liverpool; it’s a pretty big deal.