Florian Wirtz: Verdict falls over Leverkusen star

Robin Bairner

Updated: 10 Mar 2025 12:49 GMT
4 min read

Florian Wirtz, Bayer Leverkusen, 2024/25 — © IMAGO

Bayer Leverkusen playmaker Florian Wirtz faces several weeks out because of the ankle injury he suffered during Saturday’s defeat against Werder Bremen.

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Xabi Alonso’s side suffered a nightmare on Saturday as they slipped to a shock 2-0 home loss, failing to take advantage of Bayern Munich’s surprise defeat at the hands of Hertha Berlin.

STATS

Florian Wirtz

AM (C)

Bayer 04

Florian Wirtz

AM (C)

Bayer 04

45

Games
15

Goals
13

Assists

But the biggest blow for B04 was seeing Wirtz going off with an ankle injury just days before they meet Bayern in the second leg of a Champions League last-16 tie they already trail 3-0 in.

“We’re expecting the worst but hoping for the best,” general director Fernandeo Carro told Kicker on Saturday.

Wirtz has already suffered a serious knee injury previously in his career, and there are fears that this blow could see his season ended after he left the stadium on crutches on Saturday.

Leverkusen have not confirmed that he has suffered ligament damage to his right ankle and faces several weeks on the sidelines.

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© IMAGO - Florian Wirtz, Bayer Leverkusen

"The loss of Florian obviously hits us hard in this phase of the season but we will compensate for him with a strong squad," said Bayer 04 managing director for sport Simon Rolfes.

"We know Florian and also know he will come back as soon as possible. Everybody will support him in that. We are assuming he will be fully fit again for the end of the season run-in."

Wirtz a major player in the transfer market

This could have implications on the summer transfer market as Wirtz was expected to be one of the major protagonists.

Manchester City are notably tracking the Germany international star as a long-term successor to Kevin De Bruyne. Across all competitions this season, Wirtz has 15 goals and 13 assists, highlighting the offensive impact that he has brought to Alonso’s team.

With Arsenal, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich also thought to be leading candidates to sign him, there is an expectation that he would move for a figure well above the €100 million mark. Indeed, he has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €130m, making him the sixth most valuable player in the world.

All these clubs will be waiting anxiously to see how Wirtz recovers from his ankle injury as it could have a dramatic impact on their summer transfer plans.