Bayern Munich destroyed in savage transfer attack after Florian Wirtz failure

Daily Mirror

01-07-2025

Bayern Munich didn't want to stump up for Florian Wirtz, with the Germany international eventually heading to Liverpool in a potential £116m deal, and now the German champions aren't willing to meet Stuttgart's price tag for Nick Woltemade - leading to a war of words between Uli Hoeness and Lothar Matthaus
After missing out on Liverpool new boy Florian Wirtz, Bayern Munich need to step into the real world when it comes to transfers. That's the view of Germany legend Lothar Matthaus, who has let rip at his former club in his latest war of words with Bayern's honorary president, Uli Hoeness.
The German champions lost out in the battle to sign Wirtz last month, after failing to cut a deal with Bayer Leverkusen. Their use of the media over the past 12 months to try and strong-arm a deal out of Bayer and lower the price didn't sit well with the Wirtz family, for whom a final meeting with Bayern bosses - including head coach Vincent Kompany - was the last straw.
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When a lack of clarity over his role in the team was presented, it was a stark contrast to what Liverpool boss Arne Slot showed, and added to their unhappiness' at Bayern's public proclamations across the previous year, Wirtz elected to move to the Premier League and Anfield.
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Bayern for so long felt the player was in the bag, but got things very, very wrong.
Now, they're trying to tread a similar path to land Stuttgart hotshot Nick Woltemade. Amid claims of an agreement between Bayern and the player, Die Roten are going public once more, admitting they won't go near Stuttgart's £68m-plus price tag, and that a more acceptable fee needs to be found. Duly, it was reported Bayern would prefer to pay £50m.
That led former star Matthaus to declare their valuation of Woltemade was "too low". Pretty tepid in truth - only Hoeness subsequently declared that the former Germany captain had "lost his mind".
He added: "I've been fed up with these so-called experts for some time. With remarks like these, Matthäus is putting pressure, especially on Stuttgart. Ultimately, the club will look like the loser if the transfer fee comes in lower."
Unsurprisingly, Matthaus didn't take Hoeness' comments lying down and issued his own response in BILD. He declared Hoeness "lives in his own world" and used Bayern's failure to land Wirtz - and the £116m fee Liverpool could eventually pay - to make his point.
"I have to say that I'm used to Uli Hoeness' insults and I don't take them seriously anymore. He's been doing that for 20, 25 years," said Matthaus. "I don't let it get to me; that makes you thick-skinned. Uli Hoeness still lives in his own world and still hasn't understood that not only football, but also the business has evolved.
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"I'm aware of what's going on in the market. I mentioned €80-100m as a possible price [for Woltemade], but Uli Hoeneß apparently didn't read it up properly again.
'He's only interested in attacking other people to distract from his own mistakes. I know the market, both domestically and internationally. And I still believe this assessment is correct. [Jamie] Gittens cost around €60million [to Chelsea ] and isn't even an international player, and he's also had a worse season [than Woltemade].
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"I predicted for Florian Wirtz many months ago that the total package would amount to €250m – and that's what happened. These simply are the numbers nowadays.
'At FC Bayern, things are only seen from one side. When I think of Jamal Musiala: Bayern would want much more for him than, for example, Wirtz cost. Bayern would want €180m. So why can't Wirtz cost €150m or Woltemade €80-100m?
"Uli Hoeness lives in his own world. He may no longer be up to date with the transfer market. Bayern Munich wants a player who now has that market. As a reminder: FC Bayern already spent €80m on Lucas Hernández in 2019.
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"Hoeness should investigate internally: Why didn't FC Bayern and their scouts discover Woltemade earlier, why did they only become aware of him now? With Woltemade, the VfB management did a much better job. Instead, FC Bayern brought in Joao Palhinha for €50m, who has so far only been a backup player, barely playing even in unimportant games. These are the problems Hoeneß should be addressing.'
On the subject of 22-year-old Wirtz, Matthaus admits he's intrigued by the "big challenge" he's taken in moving to England - and is clearly impressed by the Kop new boy's decision.
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"Personally, I also thought Florian would want to stay in Germany for the next few years. He's taking on a big challenge. It's not just a new club: it's a new mentality, a new language," Matthaus said. "But this step also shows that he's not afraid. Florian Wirtz believes in himself 100 per cent – and rightly so: I have absolute confidence in him that he'll make it at Liverpool and in the Premier League.
"He doesn't have to hide from anyone. A year before the World Cup, the move is also a risk, a leap into the unknown – but his friends and family will certainly support him very well."
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