Florian Wirtz warned he made wrong decision by choosing £116m Liverpool transfer instead of Premier League rivals 'on the rise'

Wirtz is nearing a record-breaking transfer to Liverpool this summer from Bayer Leverkusen after having rejected a number of clubs, including Manchester City and Bayern Munich. The highly-rated German youngster had been hoping to find a 'new challenge', having been with Die Werkself since 2020.

Wirtz was reportedly interested in a move to Liverpool after being impressed by Arne Slot's vision for the future. However, Malouda, who had earlier indicated that the German international would be the perfect replacement for Kevin De Bruyne at City, believes that the 22-year-old should have rejected the Reds and made a move to either Tottenham Hotspur or Newcastle United.

Florent Malouda was speaking on behalf of bet365 at their launch of the free-to-play Club World Championship Tournament Predictor game, and said: "I think Florian Wirtz has the profile to join a team that is on the rise, I think he would’ve been perfect to join a team like Newcastle, or Tottenham Hotspur, a team that wants to take that step up."

Liverpool are said to be hopeful that they can complete the signing of Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen at the latest by this Friday, June 20. The Reds are also looking to sign new teammates for the German this summer, with Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez expected to leave Anfield during this transfer window.