One report claims Liverpool have agreed a deal to sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen, with the Reds now seemingly even closer to meeting the Bundesliga side's demands
Liverpool are growing closer to a British record-breaking deal for their top summer target Florian Wirtz, with Bayer Leverkusen's valuation finally met by the Anfield side according to one report.
The transfer tale that has dominated headlines this summer is seemingly drawing to a close as the Reds get closer to reaching an agreement with the German club. Leverkusen have been seeking around £126.4million for their star man, with Liverpool initially unwilling to meet that fee but closing in on offering an acceptable sum for the transfer.
Whatever the final fee, the move will seemingly surpass the £115m Chelsea paid for Moises Caicedo when they signed him from Brighton two years ago, and become a new British record.
After rejecting previous offers from Liverpool, Leverkusen stood firm on their asking price, although the specifics of the deal's structure remain undisclosed.
Wirtz is still waiting to fly to Merseyside and undergo a medical with the Reds before putting pen to paper, with Tuesday's closure of the first transfer window of the summer having no effect on the deal.
The German talent has long had his sights set on joining Liverpool and agreed to terms over a fortnight ago, with the transfer verbally agreed on Tuesday evening as per Fabrizio Romano. A separate report from The Athletic stated that the deal wasn't yet agreed, but was close to being so as both sides discussed the structure and payment terms of the transfer.
Despite interest from Manchester City and Bayern Munich, Wirtz has opted for a future on Merseyside. The young star's ascent at the BayArena has been nothing short of spectacular, earning him the title of Bundesliga Player of the Season in the last campaign when he inspired Leverkusen to an unbeaten title success.
"You have to give special players like Flo the possibility to do special things on the pitch," former Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso had enthused when discussing his prodigy.
Wirtz, a European Under-21 Champion with Germany in 2021, has already racked up an impressive 29 appearances for the senior national team, netting six goals for Die Mannschaft.
Current Barcelona boss Hansi Flick was effusive of his praise for Wirtz when he was German boss, saying: "Florian is just a huge asset for this team with his care-free nature.
"He's simply an outstanding technician, loves to play, is very creative, has a good shot, runs hard and is quick. He's the full package."
Wirtz will join his former Leverkusen team-mate Jeremie Frimpong on Merseyside after the Dutch international sealed his move to Anfield last month.
After signing Wirtz the Reds will look to seal a deal for the Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez, who is poised to join Arne Slot's Premier League champions in a £45m transfer.
Iffy106
8
Congratulations to all Liverpool fans