Liverpool have finally agreed a deal with Bayer Leverkusen to sign Florian Wirtz in a British-record deal that will see the 22-year-old German head to Anfield this summer
Liverpool will smash the British transfer record to sign Florian Wirtz after agreeing a £116m to sign the Germany star. The Reds will pay £100m upfront to Bayer Leverkusen with the rest due in add-ons which are linked to both the individual success of the player and the team.
Wirtz, 22, will now be given the green light to travel to Merseyside to undergo a medical and complete the formalities of a long-term contract.
Liverpool have committed to pay £100m guaranteed. That is a huge figure and more than the club has ever paid for a single player even including add-ons. But the overall cost of the deal will surpass the £115m which Chelsea paid Brighton for Moises Caicedo in 2023.
That shows the belief within Anfield for the ability of the Germany international both now and in the future with those who have watched him intently sure there’s still huge scope for improvement for a player who had 30 goal contributions last season.
Wirtz wanted only to move to Merseyside after turning down advances from Manchester City and Bayern Munich which surprised many. Liverpool were never prepared to match the £127m (€150m) Leverkusen were keen to get.
But a compromise has been worked out between Reds sporting director Richard Hughes and his counterpart at Leverkusen, Simon Rolfes. There has been consistent dialogue between the two clubs since last week when the Reds tabled an offer worth around £114m.
But Liverpool have had to up their offer by a further £2m to get the deal done. The deal for Wirtz was the most Liverpool have ever offered for a single player in their history and it will smash their transfer record of £85m (including add-ons) for Darwin Nunez, who they signed from Benfica in 2022.
The finer details of that include what Wirtz and Liverpool must achieve during the course of his contract at Liverpool to trigger the payments over £100m were finalised late on Thursday night. 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 £200m 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.