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Liverpool’s primary summer transfer target, Florian Wirtz, found himself in a tense clash with Bruno Fernandes during Germany’s Nations League loss to Portugal.
Liverpool aims to secure a club-record deal for attacking midfielder Wirtz, with Bayer Leverkusen demanding £120 million for one of Europe’s most coveted midfielders.
The Reds are currently at £109m, but reports suggest a deal is on the verge of being agreed, with personal terms not an issue.
Wirtz put in a solid performance playing just off the left of the central striker and played a tidy give-and-go for his side’s goal.
Wirtz also earned the admiration of some Liverpool supporters on social media after a fierce, studs-up tackle on Manchester United captain Fernandes in the first half, and he engaged in an intense exchange with Manchester City standout Bernardo Silva at various moments.
Florian Wirtz was involved in a heated battle with Bruno Fernandes while on international duty
He put in a crunching tackle on the Manchester United captain in the first half before a scuffle in the second period
Wirtz is close to joining Liverpool in a deal that could be worth up to an eventual £120million
In the first half, Wirtz challenged Fernandes for a ball, but mis-timed his tackle and stood on his opponent’s foot. Fernandes hit the ground in agony and hobbled through the remaining minutes up to half-time.
Things then escalated in the second period. During a Germany attack, Wirtz as tripped by Silva on the half-way line and himself stayed on the ground in pain. A few minutes later, off the ball, there was an altercation.
The two players – who could have been team-mates had City not pulled out of their pursuit of Wirtz – went almost head-to-head when Silva hit the deck, seemingly claiming he had been stood on.
Wirtz tried to lift the 30-year-old up from the floor, but Fernandes raced in and pulled the German away from the scene.
A pushing match ensued between a number of players, with Wirtz booked for his involvement. VAR deemed there was no foul play in his altercation with Silva.
In the game itself, meanwhile, the Liverpool target scored the opening goal of the game after a relatively quiet first period. While his defensive work stood out, he had one effort at goal in the opening 45 minutes and played a neat pass for Joshua Kimmich to create an opportunity.
In the second half, however, he was finally allowed time on the ball and played a neat give-and-go with his captain, Kimmich, to score. He passed and made his way into the box, with the right wing back on the night delivering a clever cross.
Nick Woltemade blocked off Ruben Dias, and Wirtz provided the deft flick required to beat Diogo Costa and put his side ahead.
Wirtz also clashed with Bernardo Silva as the Manchester City man went down off the ball
His clash with Silva triggered a melee, with stars such as Fernandes and Niclas Fullkrug jumping in
Wirtz scored the first goal of the game with a fine header to put his side ahead in Germany
Cristiano Ronaldo, however, scored the winner after Francisco Conceicao had levelled things
Some fans mocked Wirtz online when Fernandes beat him down the right during a Portugal attack late on
Portugal, though, had the last laugh. Some fans mocked Wirtz online when he was beaten by Fernandes on the right flank, and Francisco Conceicao drove in to curl in a fine equaliser.
Later, Nuno Mendes, fresh from winning the Champions League in the same stadium just days ago, played a classy one-two with Fernandes and crossed for Cristiano Ronaldo to score the winner.
It means Portugal will go onto play either Spain or France in Sunday’s Nations League final, while Germany will face the other in a third-place play-off.
Wirtz, though, could be Liverpool player by then. An agreement is close, and completion would represent a statement move from the champions, who have already signed Jeremie Frimpong for £29.5m and are close to brining in Milos Kerkez for £45m from Bournemouth.
