Liverpool have been tipped by Eintracht Frankfurt legend Karl-Heinz Korbel to smash their own transfer record to sign a successor to Sadio Mane, who has come in for criticism this season.
The Senegal international is out of contract in less than 18 months and after what has been a phenomenal Liverpool career to date, his future at the club is shrouded in doubt as his form has waxed and waned recently.
Karl-Heinz Korbel has suggested that Mane, who has still managed to score 10 goals in all competitions this season despite battling with confidence issues, could be succeeded by 18-year-old wonderkid Florian Wirtz.
The teenager has 8 goals and 12 assists in the Bundesliga this season and as Christian Pulisic, Kai Havertz and Jadon Sancho’s lack of impact in the Premier League will warn, signing promising Bundesliga talent isn’t always a guarantee of success.
3 goals and 3 assists in the Europa League would suggest that he’s not just stat-padding in Germany and that he genuinely is the real deal.
That said, Wirtz is a simply fantastic player.
He’s a gem.
Two-footed, able to dribble on both sides before shooting, passing or slaloming between the lines, Bayer Leverkusen have an incredible talent on their hands.
🇩🇪 Florian Wirtz has now been involved in 20 goals this season for Bayer Leverkusen.
Goals = ⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️
Assists = 🅰️ 🅰️ 🅰️ 🅰️ 🅰️ 🅰️ 🅰️ 🅰️ 🅰️ 🅰️ 🅰️ 🅰️Remember he’s only 18-years old.🔥 pic.twitter.com/inyqPvVmIO
— Mozo Football (@MozoFootball) January 15, 2022
It’s no surprise he comes from the same club that produced Havertz but it’s surprising that he’s producing the numbers he is at such a young age.
“A player like Wirtz needs an environment in which he feels comfortable in order to develop,” Körbel told SportBild [via Sportwitness].
“If he leaves in 2023 or 2024, he can choose the club: Barcelona, Madrid, Bayern, Liverpool.
“I think he would do well with Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool. As the successor to Sadio Mane.”
