Liverpool transfer spending to smash £220m barrier with moves after Wirtz

Liverpool have finally agreed a £116million deal - with £100m up front and guaranteed - to sign Germany star Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen, and the Reds spending isn't done there

Liverpool have agreed a whopping £116m deal for German ace Florian Wirtz which could shatter the British transfer record. Wirtz, 22, will complete a move to Anfield next week after the Reds finalised a deal with Bayer Leverkusen - and their summer spending isn't complete, with Kop bosses prepared to smash the £220m barrier.

The Reds will pay £100m upfront to the Bundesliga club with the rest due in add-ons which are linked to both the individual success of the player and the team. Wirtz, 22, has be given the green light to travel to Merseyside to undergo a medical and complete the formalities on a long-term contract with personal terms already sorted.

The deal will be a record signing for the Reds in excess of the £85m they agreed to pay Benfica for Darwin Nunez in 2022.

And should they hit all the add-ons in the deal it will surpass the £115m Chelsea paid Brighton for Moises Caicedo in 2023. The Reds did manage to negotiate a lower fee than the £127m package which Leverkusen were trying to hold out for.

Wirtz made it clear he wanted to move to Merseyside late last month which gave the Reds a clear path to his signature. Manchester City and Bayern Munich had both tried to convince the Germany attacking midfielder to join them.

The £100m will be guaranteed but, like any modern deal, will be paid in instalments over a number of years while the add-ons will then be paid as and when they are triggered.

It’s a complex and complicated deal but nothing out of the ordinary for a player so highly-sought after and a financial package so eye-watering. The transfer window is now closed again until next week but deals can still be agreed and medicals done. The deal will be made official next week.

Liverpool's spending this summer is set to go north of £220m as they look to land Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth, who are holding out for £45m.

Jeremie Frimpong has already been signed from Leverkusen for £29.5m. Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili is arriving from Valencia for around £30m after spending last season on loan with the La Liga club.

The Reds will hope to offset some of the big spending with player sales with £28m already brought in from Caoimhin Kelleher joining Brentford for £18m while they secured £10m from Real Madrid to release Trent Alexander-Arnold from his contract a month earlier.