Karl-Heinz Rummenigge plays down talk of Bayern Munich reigniting Florian Wirtz pursuit

Bayern Munich have no intention of launching a renewed bid to sign Florian Wirtz for the time being, according to club legend and supervisory board member Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. The Bundesliga giants pursued Wirtz in the summer of 2025, but Liverpool ultimately won the race for his signature in a €125 million deal. However, the former Bayer Leverkusen playmaker has struggled to hit top gear at Anfield, despite cementing a regular starting role. Recent reports suggested the Allianz Arena hierarchy were monitoring his situation on Merseyside, ready to pounce next summer if his difficulties in England persist. Rummenigge, however, stressed that Bayern are well-stocked in the playmaker role and have no need to invest heavily in Wirtz.

"First of all, transfers are not my responsibility," Rummenigge said. "Besides, we must not forget that Jamal Musiala and Serge Gnabry already operate in that role, and we have other alternatives like Ismael Saibari. There is no reason to bring in a fourth option for the kind of fee Wirtz would command. That's why I always say: every career move needs to be thought through very carefully beforehand.

"Am I surprised he is finding things tough at Liverpool? Honestly, yes. We got the impression he chose Liverpool because the manager at the time, Arne Slot, promised him the 'number 10' position—the exact role he flourished in at Leverkusen. That was a decisive factor in his decision to join them. Financially, there was virtually no difference between the offers. He made his choice, and we moved on. Could something happen further down the line? I don't know. The real question is whether Wirtz is happy at Liverpool, and I can't be the judge of that. Uli [Hoeness] and I were in touch with his parents for some time. In the end, they took a different route, and we respected that."