Florian Wirtz to Bayern Munich at the second attempt? FCB chief speaks plainly and reveals his surprise
Bayern Munich are known to have made an intensive effort to sign Florian Wirtz more than a year ago. Regarding a move to Munich at the second attempt, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has now spoken plainly. He also said he was surprised by his development at Liverpool.
In an interview with the Münchner Abendzeitung, the FCB supervisory board member did not rule out another move by the German record champions. At the same time, though, Rummenigge made it clear a deal for Wirtz is not on the agenda in the near future.
"Whether something else might still be possible at some point? I don't know," said the 71-year-old: "The question is whether Wirtz is happy in Liverpool. I can't judge that. Uli (Hoeneß, editor's note) and I were in contact with his father and mother for a while. Then they decided differently, and we respected that."
Rummenigge also stressed that Bayern Munich's current squad has no need for another central attacking player: "One must not forget: Jamal Musiala and Serge Gnabry play in this position, and there are also further options such as Ismael Saibari." There is "no need to buy a fourth player as well for the money Wirtz would probably cost."
Why did Florian Wirtz turn down Bayern Munich?
Bayern spent a long time pushing for the Germany international before Wirtz turned them down in summer 2025 and the now 23-year-old joined Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen for a reported €125 million. Since then, things have been mixed for Wirtz. After an underwhelming debut season in which the Reds disappointed for long spells, he too, like a large number of his team-mates, fell well short of expectations at the World Cup.
This season, though, Wirtz is an undisputed starter at Liverpool, where coach Andoni Iraola has now taken over. So far, however, he has not produced match-winning moments (no goals, one assist), although statistically Wirtz ranks among the best players in the Premier League for pressing, runs in behind and passes through the lines. Even so, the No 10 has regularly come in for sharp criticism from the English press and pundits. That has repeatedly sparked loose rumours about a possible departure, and with it talk of a delayed move to Bayern.
"Every step a player takes, he has to think through carefully beforehand," Rummenigge explained. He was "honestly speaking" surprised by Wirtz's development, having above all cited sporting reasons for his move to Liverpool. "We were given the impression that he was going to Liverpool because the coach at the time, Arne Slot, had promised him the No 10 position, which was also where he played in Leverkusen. That was an important factor in his decision in favour of Liverpool," he said, making clear: "There were no dramatic differences when it came to finances."
Under Slot, Wirtz was often used on the left wing or left on the bench. The Dutchman was visibly struggling to fit all of his attacking players into a star-studded side. Only around the turn of the year did Wirtz begin to find his rhythm, and for a while he also started to rack up goal contributions before tailing off again towards the end after a back injury. In the end, Wirtz finished with 17 goal involvements (seven goals, ten assists) in 49 appearances across all competitions.
