Erik ten Hag addresses Florian Wirtz transfer links in first appearance as Leverkusen head coach | OneFootball

It hasn’t taken Erik ten Hag long to address the transfer links involving Florian Wirtz and Liverpool.

The former Manchester United manager has today been confirmed as the new head coach of Bayer Leverkusen, taking over from Xabi Alonso, and for the time being he’s now the boss of the in-demand Germany international.

However, even the Dutchman is unsure as to whether he’ll actually get the chance to work with the 22-year-old, for whom the Premier League champions have reportedly submitted a formal transfer offer.

What has Ten Hag said about Wirtz?

As per Liverpool Echo, Ten Hag didn’t shy away from a question about Wirtz’s future during his introductory press conference as head coach at the Bundesliga club.

The 55-year-old said: “He’s a super player. I’ve watched him and his development with great joy. Whether he’ll stay, you never know.”

Leverkusen’s sporting director Simon Rolfes has also confirmed reports of an approach from Anfield for their number 10, saying: “He’s one of our players. Of course, there’s a lot of interest. There’s concrete interest from Liverpool.”

(Photo by Pau Barrena/Getty Images)

Leverkusen seemingly bracing themselves for Wirtz exit

A lot of managers would toe the party line and give a diplomatic response when asked about players at the epicentre of transfer speculation, but it’s striking that Ten Hag hasn’t dodged the rumours surrounding Wirtz, all the more so as he’s only just taken on the job at the BayArena.

With Rolfes also going on record to confirm Liverpool’s ‘concrete interest’ in the player, Leverkusen seem braced for his exit, although you can be sure that they’ll do everything in their power to extract as massive a fee for him as possible.

Fabrizio Romano has indicated that the Reds’ initial proposal is to the tune of £84m plus add-ons, but with other outlets citing an asking price of 50% more than that figure, we can surely expect some pushback from the Bundesliga club.

Nonetheless, we wouldn’t be surprised if privately Ten Hag is already looking towards life after Wirtz as he seeks to sign an instant replacement for the 22-year-old if – as seems increasingly likely – he moves to Anfield over the summer.