The Germany international, who scored in the Nations League in midweek, is expected to complete his move to Liverpool in the coming weeks, but an unexpected snag has emerged

Germany's Rhineland clubs - namely Leverkusen, Koln and Borussia Monchengladbach - were all reported to have a gentleman's agreement not to 'steal' one another's youth talent, dating back to 2001, when Koln tracked and signed Leverkusen's then-12-year-old starlet Marco Quotschalla with the lure of an eight-year contract.

Bayern Munich appear to be imploding behind the scenes as the club’s chiefs play the blame game over their failed pursuit of Florian Wirtz. The Bundesliga champions were in the mix to land the attacker but look set to miss out on his signature to Liverpool.