Florian Wirtz was begged to make transfer decision as Liverpool icon has demand

Florian Wirtz became the most expensive player in Liverpool's history when he joined from Bayer Leverkusen in a £116m deal in June, snubbing Bayern Munich in the process

Florian Wirtz joined Liverpool instead of Bayern Munich(Image: Getty Images)

Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Robert Andrich has disclosed how he urged Florian Wirtz to steer clear of Bayern Munich before the Liverpool star chose Anfield instead.

Wirtz made the move to the Reds in June after the Premier League team edged out Bundesliga outfit Bayern toward the end of May, with the £116 million ($155.1 million) transfer fee briefly making the attacking midfielder the most expensive signing in Merseyside history; Alexander Isak took that record when he arrived from Newcastle for £125 million ($167.2 million).

Bayern was competing with Liverpool for Wirtz's signature earlier this year, and as the 22-year-old deliberated over his future, his Leverkusen team-mate Andrich urged him to reject a move to Bavaria.

Speaking on the Spielmacher podcast, Andrich said: What did I tell him? 'Please don’t go to Bayern!' I honestly thought he’d go there. I told him at some point, 'Please don’t do it. Don’t do this to us.'

"You can say that for German football, we need German talents to stay here. But in the end, there’s only Bayern Munich at the very top when we talk about quality like Flo's. I wanted him to go abroad. I told the Bayern guys that, too.

"I was happy for him that he took the step. I wouldn’t have thought he’d dare to go abroad so soon."

Wirtz is starting to show his best form at Anfield(Image: Getty Images)

Wirtz endured a difficult opening spell at Anfield, with the Reds suffering nine defeats in 12 matches during a troublesome period stretching from late September through November. But the talented No. 7 has delivered impressive performances in recent weeks.

In addition to scoring against Wolves, Fulham, and Barnsley in the FA Cup, Wirtz has set up goals for Hugo Ekitike, Alexander Isak, and even contributed to an equalizer in the 1-1 draw against Sunderland that was officially recorded as an own goal.

Andrich acknowledges that a settling-in period is typical for a young player moving countries, stating: "I don't think it's bad that he needs a little time.

"I know him well enough to know that it doesn’t bother him as much as one might think, because he simply has a very good environment with his parents and his family."

Liverpool icon's demand

Meanwhile, Liverpool icon Didi Hamann has tasked Wirtz with scoring more than 10 goals this season.

"At least Wirtz has started to affect games," Hamann told BetGoat. "In his position, you should get close to double figures in goals. I'm not a big fan of assist stats because you can pass a ball three yards and someone scores from 40.

“He has to get goals. He’s started to do that, but he is still a long way off.

"It’s a new club with big signings, but I want to see that form against the better teams in the Champions League and the Premier League, where it’s more physical. It will do his confidence the world of good to get a few goals."