A transfer bombshell involving Florian Wirtz has emerged hours before Liverpool take on Real Madrid.
On Tuesday night, the UEFA Champions League takes centre stage again, with Premier League holders Liverpool facing La Liga giants Madrid at Anfield.
Ahead of kick-off, all eyes are on Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is making a return to his former home after joining Los Blancos over the summer.
The 27-year-old is expected to receive a hostile atmosphere from the Liverpool crowd, who remain unimpressed by the manner of Alexander-Arnold's exit.
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After losing Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool spent big money to bring in players such as Wirtz, Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez.
Wirtz, 22, joined Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen in a then-club record deal worth a reported fee of £116 million.
The German star's club record deal was later surpassed when Isak moved to Anfield from Newcastle United for £125 million.
A lot was expected from Wirtz, but the midfielder has largely struggled to adapt to English football.
So far, Wirtz has registered zero goals and three assists in 14 matches across all competitions for the Reds.
Amid his poor form, the 22-year-old was recently linked with a move away from Anfield.
According to Spanish news outlet Defensa Central, Madrid are keeping an eye on the German playmaker.
It has been suggested that manager Xabi Alonso has 'asked Real to pay close attention to Wirtz's future at Liverpool'.
Now, according to Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro, Wirtz would've joined Madrid over Liverpool if the La Liga giants had made a move during the summer transfer window.
He said on SPORT1's Dopplepass: "[Wirtz] is someone who wants to win the Champions League. He saw that we had won the Bundesliga title, but winning the Champions League with Bayer Leverkusen might be more difficult.
"He would definitely have gone to Madrid if Xabi had made the offer. But Xabi has less say at Madrid than he does with us."
Instead of going for Alonso's former stars, Madrid opted to sign Alexander-Arnold, Dean Huijsen, Alvaro Carreras and Franco Mastantuono.
What did Xabi Alonso say about Florian Wirtz's Liverpool struggles?
Speaking ahead of Liverpool vs Madrid, Alonso stated that Wirtz's qualities will eventually shine through at Anfield.
He said: "I have no doubts. It is just a matter of time. For sure it is a big change for him to come to Liverpool after so many years in Germany, he's been there all his life. And a few years in Leverkusen.
"He needs to adapt but he is a really special player. He has quality and personality and he's competitive, so when he makes that trick, it has happened with great players in the Premier League before and I've no doubts with Flo."
Alonso added: "He is very special and probably one of the reasons I'm here now, is because of Flo, so I'm very grateful to Flo. Hopefully not tomorrow but I've no doubt he will show his quality and class."
Topics: Liverpool, Real Madrid, Florian Wirtz, Xabi Alonso, Football
Marcus Chan