June 12 – Liverpool FC have agreed a British record transfer fee for German midfielder Florian Wirtz, with the starlet expected to join from Bayer Leverkusen in the coming days.
The German will join Liverpool for a Premier League record fee of €150m (£126m) after agreeing personal terms with the Premier League Champions weeks ago.
He will link up with former teammate Jeremie Frimpong, who also signed for the Reds just last week in a £30m swoop.
The 22-year-old is perhaps the best young forward available – an asset for Liverpool as the club gears up for the possibility of life without talisman Mohamed Salah in 2027.
Wirtz is considered one of the best attacking midfielders in world football after starring in Leverkusen’s Bundesliga title win in 2023-24, before scoring 16 goals and assisting 15 more in their most recent campaign.
The deal taking Wirtz to Liverpool is set to beat the current British record, currently held by Moises Caicedo’s £115m move to Chelsea. Liverpool have plenty of cash in the kitty after their title win, combined with very limited spending in the past three windows – only Federico Chiesa (£12m) and Giorgi Mamardashvili (£30m) joined the club since January 2024, with the latter yet to feature after spending last season on loan at Valencia. This allows Liverpool to push aggressively in the market this window.
Wirtz is reportedly on his way to Merseyside to complete his medical before an official announcement next week.
FC Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Manchester City were all interested in Wirtz but he expressed his preference to play for Liverpool – a refreshing contrast to Scouse fullback Trent Alexander-Arnold running down his contract to sign for Madrid.
What’s next for the Premier League champions? With a deal for Bournemouth’s Hungarian left back Milos Kerkez on the verge of completion, the Reds also hope to bolster both attacking and defensive depth ahead of the new season – though will likely have to offload players to free up any more funds.
Uruguayan forward Darwin Nunez is already halfway out the door, with the 25-year-old’s inconsistency in front of goal pushing Arne Slot to find a solution elsewhere. Also linked with an exit are Colombian winger Luis Diaz and Portuguese striker Diogo Jota, who could be sold for a combined €130m according to latest reports.
FC Barcelona are keen admirers of Diaz in particular, with reports suggesting they would be willing to cough up almost €80m for his services.
Despite winning the title by a considerable margin, Liverpool look set for a new-look squad to enter the new season. Headlined by statement signing Florian Wirtz, expectations are high.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1749797473labto1749797473ofdlr1749797473owedi1749797473sni@g1749797473niwe.1749797473yrrah1749797473