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| Liverpool linked Florian Wirtz (Photo by Pau Barrena/Getty Images) via ONE FOOTBAL |
Liverpool are close to securing the signing of Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen in a British record transfer deal worth £116m.
Liverpool saw two bids rejected by Leverkusen, who had initially put a £126m price tag on Wirtz, before accepting an initial £100m payment, plus bonuses of up to £16m. These bonuses are understood to be heavily tied to Liverpool winning major trophies with Wirtz playing a key role.
The fee surpasses the previous British record set by Moisés Caicedo’s £115 million move to Chelsea and smashes Liverpool’s own record transfer of £85 million for Darwin Núñez. It also eclipses the £75 million the club paid for Virgil van Dijk in 2018.
Despite serious interest from Bayern Munich and Manchester City, Wirtz opted to join the Merseyside club after being convinced by Arne Slot’s vision for the future of the team. The 22-year-old, widely regarded as one of Europe’s top young talents, is believed to be excited by the prospect of being a central figure in Slot’s new era at Anfield.
The Bundesliga Players’ Player of the Season for 2024/25, Wirtz made his debut for Leverkusen at the age of 17, and has scored 57 goals in 197 games for the club.
He helped them win the Bundesliga for the first time in 2024 and has scored seven goals in 31 appearances for Germany since making his national debut in 2021.
According to Paul Joyce, Liverpool’s sporting director Richard Hughes led the club’s negotiations with Leverkusen’s Simon Rolfes, with talks intensifying over the past few weeks.
David Ornstein reports the German international has signed a five-year contract running until June 2030, and is expected to undergo a medical on Merseyside next week once the transfer window officially opens.
This move signals a bold new era at Anfield under Arne Slot. The Dutchman has wasted no time in stamping his authority on the squad. Wirtz will become Liverpool’s second signing of the summer following the arrival of former Leverkusen teammate Jeremie Frimpong.
Both players chose Liverpool not just for the club’s stature, but for the ambitious project being built under Slot’s leadership. Wirtz’s arrival is not just a statement of intent, it’s potentially a foundation for the next great Liverpool side.
- Nazira Yusuf
