The lure of Anfield, the weight of its history and the vision laid out to him proved irresistible when the chase for the 22-year-old came down to three clubs.
Manchester City, Bayern Munich, and Liverpool all made their pitch. All offered money, status, and promises. But only one club offered everything Wirtz was looking for.
To some it felt a surprise that Liverpool were able to take command of the situation - but the club have had eyes on him for years.
Executive members of staff had been aware of Wirtz since his very early days at FC Koln, and while the player himself has long admired Liverpool, too, a 4-0 Champions League defeat at Anfield in November also became key.
While he was on the losing side that night, the football arena and culture sparked something inside him that would prove crucial to Liverpool’s eventual capture.
At the time, this was not fully realised publicly. In fact, there was a strong belief that if he ended up in England it would be Manchester City colours he would be wearing.
Pep Guardiola had made a personal pitch, explaining to Wirtz and his representatives how they could see him taking over the role of Kevin De Bruyne.
There was deep thought behind the move, with Wirtz to become a centre-piece of the team that would bounce back to glory in 2025/26.
Wirtz was interested - but also had reservations. Most of which were attached to what would happen if Guardiola left the club.
City’s success has been driven by his football vision - yet Guardiola could not give guarantees about what would happen beyond his current deal ending in 2027.
Publicly, it would become perceived that City made the choice to walk away from the deal, citing the extortionate figures attached as being too expensive.
Other sources do not believe that to be the case. Instead, Wirtz was still wondering about a life at Liverpool, who were coasting to Premier League glory under new coach Arne Slot.
Still, Bayern Munich were also in the picture. It is rare that a huge talent within the Bundesliga is allowed to leave without Bayern at least trying to sign them - and the German powerhouses had put years of groundwork into positioning themselves to do so with Wirtz.
Bayern believed they had the inside track with Wirtz and were confident they could close a deal.
In May, they seriously began to press home their attempt to sign him and while the people around Wirtz were impressed by what was on offer, Wirtz himself was not so convinced it was right for him.
At the same time, Liverpool officials put on a show of power and passion to convince him that Anfield truly could become the home of his dreams.
Boss Slot played his part with calmness and authority, explaining how he would be given freedom in the team. He will become a No.10 at Anfield but even when he plays on the left he will have a sense of creative licence and new purpose.
Wirtz was impressed by the way Liverpool spoke about improving him as an individual, but also about how they wanted to thrive as a team.
By the end of May, Liverpool had won him over at every level of negotiation. The paperwork would come later, but the decision was made.
Liverpool are not simply outspending their rivals - which is how City or Bayern may want to dress this up. They outsmarted them and planted a special feeling in Wirtz that no amount of money could match.
Wirtz chose to be the centrepiece of something new with the Premier League champions - and now, Liverpool fans have every reason to believe they have secured the crown jewel of Europe’s next generation.
Follow the Transfer News LIVE
