Chelsea backed to sign £100m-plus Liverpool flop after Reds teammates turn their backs

Liverpool stars Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz

Chelsea have been touted as the next destination for Florian Wirtz amid claims the German’s Liverpool teammates aren’t playing to his strengths.

Wirtz briefly became Liverpool’s most expensive ever signing in the summer window of 2025, costing a package totalling £116m when arriving from Bayer Leverkusen.

Alexander Isak subsequently took the mantle and Bradley Barcola cost more too. Nevertheless, £116m remains a colossal sum to pay and over a year into his tenure on Merseyside, the results haven’t justified the outlay.

In truth, Wirtz created chances for fun in his first season, with his overall lack of assists down to the dire displays of Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah, and Liverpool’s assortment of other misfiring forwards last term.

But in the current campaign, Wirtz has looked lightweight, devoid of confidence, and unable to influence games. In his last two outings against Bournemouth and Manchester City, Wirtz’s touch has begun to desert him, and his performances can only be described as ineffective at best.

Wirtz continues to be linked with Spain’s big two as well as Bayern Munich who tried and failed to sign the playmaker two summers ago.

But according to German legend, Lothar Matthaus, Wirtz might wind up at Chelsea where he’d reunite with his former coach at Leverkusen, Xabi Alonso.

What’s more, Matthaus voiced concerns Wirtz’s teammates at Liverpool don’t play to his strengths like his compatriots in the German national side do.

During the last international break, Wirtz scored and scooped the player of the match award in Germany’s 2-0 victory over Serbia. A few days later against Greece, Wirtz created the joint-most chances in the contest with three, and completed more dribbles than any other player with four.

“I’ve recently been impressed by Florian Wirtz when he plays for the German national team,” began Matthaus (as cited by Bulinews).

“His teammates look to find him on the ball there, just as they used to at Leverkusen. At Liverpool, however, the players tend to look for other options, such as [Dominik] Szoboszlai alongside him or Isak ahead of him.

“According to my latest information from England, people have generally been satisfied with his performances recently. However, when you are an expensive, game-changing player and lose a big match 3–0, you can expect plenty of backlash from the media.”

Assessing where Wirtz could move to if Liverpool throw in the towel, Matthaus added: “When I look at Bayern Munich’s attacking options, Kane, Olise and Díaz are established starters, while Musiala and Gnabry are also top-quality players.

“The club wants to extend Kane’s and Olise’s contracts, while the others are tied down to long-term deals. Saibari has also recently joined the squad.

“At the moment, I honestly wouldn’t know where Wirtz would fit in, and I simply don’t see any realistic short-term possibility of bringing him to Bayern Munich.

“If Wirtz continues to face criticism at Liverpool and fails to show the joy and freedom in his game that we know he has, then at some point all parties will have to sit down together and perhaps find a solution.

“There are clubs in Spain that would be interested, as well as another club in England: Chelsea, where Wirtz’s former coach Xabi Alonso is now in charge.”

DON’T MISS: Chelsea on track to secure blockbuster signing of England star in club-record January deal – Exclusive

Wirtz remains a Reds player for the time being, though according to Jamie Carragher, he should no longer have a place in the starting eleven.

“Liverpool have got three £100m+ players, and they’re not all starting together; it’s early in the season, I get that,” Carragher said after Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat to Manchester City.

“But Liverpool have paid top dollar, and they’re getting nowhere near what they should be getting. I’m going to come back to Florian Wirtz. I was critical of him after the last game (against Bournemouth).

“Now I was then criticised by a lot of supporters for putting a negative slant on it when Liverpool had a game, and everyone was happy.

“But what I did say is it almost feels like the last hope: could Jurgen Klopp get his arm around him when he goes away with Germany? He played really well in the game, scored and played well.

“But he’s come here today, and I’m thinking as a Liverpool fan, no Isak, no Gakpo, our two best attackers this season. We need Barcola, and we need Wirtz to step up and help [Victor] Munoz, help [Lewis] Koumas at the top end of the pitch.

READ NEXT: Liverpool recruitment model draws serious £364m failure accusations as insider reveals Morgan Rogers mistake

“Koumas and Munoz were better than the two £100m players. Now that can’t be right. It’s just not right. And it wasn’t even a decision to make for anyone who was in this stadium today who was coming off for Liverpool when they went down to 10 men (Wirtz was substituted).

“There’s got to be a rejig of the midfield because what Florian Wirtz is giving Liverpool right now is nowhere near enough.

“People were critical of me for being critical after the Bournemouth game. He’s played 55–60 games for Liverpool. He shouldn’t be in the Liverpool team right now.”

The Gunners are emerging as favourites to sign Alvarez from Atleti, and he is reportedly available for an enticing fee

The former Newcastle and Bournemouth boss is the subject of interest from across Europe, but he is waiting for the right opportunity to return to management

Manchester United will ‘attack’ the January transfer window and make multiple new signings on two conditions, according to the Italian transfer oracle

Serious questions have been levelled at FSG’s transfer policy, with the Reds accused of having ‘more misses than hits in recent times’ and with pain expressed at the decision to sign Barcola over Rogers

Fabrizio Romano has revealed the latest he’s hearing on Michael Carrick and his future at Manchester United

PSG are keeping close tabs on the star’s situation and are prepared to launch a bid if INEOS clear him to leave, with a second European heavyweight also monitoring developments, TEAMtalk understands