Bayer Leverkusen’s Simon Rolfes: “Our goal is to use the transfer fee for Florian to build the next title-winning team”

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·2 juillet 2025

Bayer Leverkusen’s Simon Rolfes: “Our goal is to use the transfer fee for Florian to build the next title-winning team”

Speaking to Bild, Bayer Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes spoke on the future of Bayer Leverkusen and the recent transfer of Florian Wirtz.

Two and a half weeks ago, the transfer of Wirtz to Liverpool was announced, which was the biggest ever sale in the history of the Bundesliga. When asked for insight on the negotiations, Rolfes said:

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“The difficulty is that with a transfer fee of €14 million, there are many clubs that could be an option. For a player like Florian, a maximum of five clubs are possible that could afford it. Ultimately, Florian’s requirement was that everyone be comfortable with the move. He told us, literally, that he hoped Bayer 04 would also be happy with the result.”

During Wirtz’s first interview with Liverpool, the 22-year-old said the Premier League champions are one of the three biggest clubs in the world. When pushed for who Rolfes thought the other two were, the director said:

For me, Real Madrid and Manchester City, along with Liverpool, are the clubs that have dominated European football in recent years. I believe they will continue to do so.

Rolfes further added further detail later in the interview:

“Starting in February and March, the discussions focused more on other clubs and other leagues. We always knew what he thought. We knew from the parents who they were talking to. The clubs from abroad also informed us, and they handled the matter in a highly professional and serious manner.”

Finally, on the matter of Wirtz’s move, Rolfes revealed when the Köln native had made his decision:

“In May he told us that he had decided to join Liverpool FC.

When Leverkusen sold Kai Havertz in 2020, they were then able to invest it into key members of the squad who would be a part of their double-winning side. die Werkself now looks to continue the trend with the Wirtz money:

“Now, our goal is to use the transfer fee for Florian to build the next title-winning team. We want to sign players who will help us immediately with their quality and who also have the potential to develop. Our goal is to always be among the top four in the league and to be capable of winning titles.”

Leverkusen have already begun to invest in their squad as they go through a shakeup. Jarell Quansah has joined from Liverpool, while the club is also nearly the completing a move for Malick Tilmann from PSV Eindhoven, and Leverkusen are unlikely to stop their pursuit as they continue to look to boost their attack.

GGFN | Jack Meenan