Liverpool could look to drive down Bayer Leverkusen’s asking price for midfielder Florian Wirtz by offering at least one player as part of a swap deal, reports have revealed.
Leverkusen are expected to stand firm on their price of €150 million (£126.5 million, $170.3 million), with Liverpool’s second offer of €130 million (£109.6 million, $147.6 million) not thought to be enough to get a deal over the line.
According to kicker, Leverkusen may even be looking for more than €150 million to part ways with Wirtz. Talks between the two clubs are ongoing but Liverpool have been tipped to explore other ways to save money.
A swap deal could benefit both sides and it is claimed that Leverkusen are interested in signing Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott, who has openly admitted he does not know what his future looks like after a season of very limited minutes.
There is, however, interest in Elliott from across the Premier League—Newcastle United have been touted as suitors—and the chances of the 22-year-old opting to move to Germany are described as slim.
If Liverpool need to use another player in their bid for Wirtz, the Daily Mail name centre-back Jarell Quansah as a possible candidate.
Quansah is thought to be of interest to Leverkusen, who just lost Jonathan Tah to Bayern Munich on a free transfer. However, like Elliott, the young defender also has admirers in England.
Raising funds may not be an issue for Liverpool. A sum of €10 million (£8.4 million, $11.4 million) was pocketed through the sale of Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid, while Caoimhin Kelleher’s proposed move to Brentford could generate double that fee.
Forward duo Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez are both wanted in Saudi Arabia and Spain. Federico Chiesa, last summer’s only new arrival, has also been linked with a return to Serie A.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Bayer Leverkusen ‘Eye Florian Wirtz Swap Deal’ With Liverpool, Two Targets Named.
