Premier League giants Liverpool have secured a sensational deal to sign Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz in a club-record agreement worth up to €136 million (£116m).
The Reds had seen two previous bids turned down by the German club, including a £113m offer that featured a £100m upfront payment and performance-related bonuses. However, after intense negotiations, Liverpool finally got the green light from Leverkusen.
The Merseyside club will pay an initial £100m — comfortably breaking their transfer record — with potential add-ons that could make Wirtz the most expensive player in British football history. The total package could even eclipse the £115m Chelsea paid Brighton for Moises Caicedo in 2023.
Leverkusen had initially valued the 22-year-old Germany international at around £125m. Despite not meeting that figure directly, Liverpool’s overall offer proved too good to turn down.
Wirtz becomes Liverpool’s most expensive signing, surpassing Darwin Nunez’s £85m move in 2022 — a figure that remains partially unpaid due to unmet performance clauses.
Although several top European clubs had been monitoring Wirtz, Liverpool were not early favourites. But with Manchester City pulling out over the rising costs and Wirtz reportedly favouring a move to Anfield over Bayern Munich, new sporting director Richard Hughes stepped in decisively.
The deal was made smoother as talks were already ongoing between both clubs over Jeremie Frimpong, who joined Liverpool last month in a £30m move as the first signing under new head coach Arne Slot.
Hughes also leveraged his strong connections with former club Bournemouth to advance negotiations for left-back Milos Kerkez, another target set to bolster Slot’s new-look squad.
