Florian Wirtz's impending move to Liverpool branded "real shame" for Bundesliga

Borussia Dortmund chief Hans-Joachim Watzke has shared his thoughts on Florian Wirtz’s move to Liverpool this summer.

The Reds have agreed a fee of €136.3million (£116m), with €117.5m (£100m) due upfront and a further €18.8m in potential add-ons, to sign Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen.

The 22-year-old is expected to undergo his Liverpool medical on Friday before putting pen to paper on a five-year deal.

The deal will surpass the previous British transfer record of £115m that Chelsea paid Brighton for Moises Caicedo in August 2023.

It also breaks the Reds’ record transfer fee of £85m paid to Benfica for Darwin Nunez in 2022.

Wirtz turned down both Bayern Munich and Manchester City and is poised to join the Premier League champions in a club-record transfer.

Watzke is unhappy that the Germany international is leaving the Bundesliga and claims he would have preferred to see the attacker join Bayern.

The 22-year-old is expected to undergo his Liverpool medical on Friday

“It’s a real shame, especially for the DFL (German Football League), that a player like Florian Wirtz is disappearing from the Bundesliga,” Watzke told kicker.

“I wouldn’t have had a problem at all if he had gone to FC Bayern.

“That would have been better for the Bundesliga. He could have played better with Musiala in Munich, but two such good footballers find each other anyway.”

Leverkusen rejected a second offer from the Reds for Germany international. Arne Slot’s side offered a fixed sum of €118m ($134m) plus €12m in bonus payments.

The Reds’ first bid for the attacking midfielder consisted of €100m plus €15m in additional payments.

Wirtz has been a standout performer for Bayer Leverkusen in recent seasons, netting 16 goals and providing 15 assists last season.

Having established himself as a key figure for both club and country, he impressed notably at Euro 2024.

After five years at Leverkusen, where he played a vital role in their Bundesliga campaign during the 2023/24 season, the Germany international is eager for a new challenge.

Wirtz’s move will see him join former Leverkusen team-mate Jeremie Frimpong at Anfield, following the Netherlands international’s £29.5m move.