We 'signed' Florian Wirtz for Liverpool and he made record transfer fee look like a bargain

We 'signed' Florian Wirtz for Liverpool and he made record transfer fee look like a bargain

Florian Wirtz has been linked with a move to Liverpool this summer, so we simulated the 2025/26 season to see how he could perform.

What could happen if Liverpool signed Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz in the summer transfer window (Image: Photo by Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images )

Liverpool are looking to sign Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz this summer, with any deal for the German international set to smash the Reds' current transfer record.

Having already secured the signing of Jeremie Frimpong, Liverpool are looking to continue their raid of Bayer Leverkusen by signing Wirtz. The 22-year-old has won Bundesliga player of the season two seasons in a row, and it looks like Liverpool are set to beat Bayern Munich and Manchester City to secure the German this summer.

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Liverpool have already had two bids for Wirtz rejected, most recently a €130million (£109m) offer, with Leverkusen holding out for €150m (£125m). The versatile attacking midfielder scored 16 goals and grabbed 14 assists for Leverkusen this season.

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So, what could happen if Wirtz were to make a move to Liverpool this summer? We used Football Manager 2024 to find out...

Liverpool's 2025/26 season simulated with Florian Wirtz

To complete this simulation, we used Football Manager 2024 to sign Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen, with the Reds paying the German side's £125million asking price, making him the most expensive signing in Premier League history. We then simulated the 2025 summer transfer window and the 2025/26 season to see what could happen.

Wirtz was thrown straight into the Liverpool starting XI, with the German making most of his appearances through the middle, with Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo sharing the left wing spot. In his first season at the club, Wirtz was incredible, and he had the stats to prove it.

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Liverpool's top scorers from the 2025/26 season (Image: Football Manager 24 )

Wirtz made 54 appearances for the Reds, scoring 17 goals and grabbing 12 assists across all competitions. His combined 29 goal contributions were the most at the club, with Mohamed Salah (28) and Szoboszlai (27) just behind, as the goals were much more spread out among the squad than the previous campaign.

At the end of the 2025/26 season, Football Manager 2024 put together an overall best Liverpool XI, based on performances, statistics, and other metrics. This is what it looked like:

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Liverpool's best XI from the 2025/26 season (Image: Football Manager 24 )

Full Liverpool best XI: (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Salah, Wirtz, Szoboszlai; Diaz.

Wirtz made Liverpool's best XI in the simulation, with Szoboszlai and Salah joining him as the attacking trio behind Luis Diaz at striker. Conor Bradley was the first-choice right back throughout the season, with Frimpong being used as a back-up at both right back and right wing.

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With Wirtz in the squad, Liverpool were even better in Slot's second season than in the first, with the Reds winning both the Premier League and the Champions League in the simulation.

Liverpool won the Premier League (Image: Football Manager 24 )

27 wins, six draws and five defeats saw Liverpool end the season with 87 points, three more than their tally in the 2024/25 campaign, and 11 more than second-place Manchester City in the simulation. Wirtz won the Premier League player of the season award in his first year at the club, but he was even more influential in the Champions League, with the 22-year-old scoring twice in the final as the Reds beat Real Madrid 3-1 to lift their seventh Champions League trophy.

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Slot's side missed the chance to win the treble following a 2-1 FA Cup final loss against Man City, while their Carabao Cup run concluded in the fourth round after a shock 3-2 defeat to Sunderland.

Overall, FM24 predicts that Wirtz could be an incredible signing for Liverpool, with the German playing a major part in a historic double for the Reds.

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