Liverpool agree British-record transfer fee of £116.5m for Florian Wirtz
What's the story
Premier League champions Liverpool have struck a club-record deal to sign German international Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen.
The transfer will cost the Reds a guaranteed £100 million, with an additional £16.5 million in potential add-ons.
The total package of £116.5 million (€137.5 million) is made up of the initial fee plus performance-related bonuses, making it a potential British record transfer if all conditions are met.
Record-breaking deal
Here's the comparison with previous record transfers
The fee for Wirtz, a highly-rated attacking midfielder, exceeds Liverpool's previous record signing Darwin Nunez from Benfica in June 2022.
The Reds had paid an initial £64 million, potentially rising to £85 million with add-ons for the Uruguayan striker.
If all conditions are met, this deal will also surpass Chelsea's British-record signing of Moises Caicedo from Brighton in 2023, which could rise to £115 million with add-ons.
Transfer negotiations
How did the Wirtz deal pan out?
Wirtz had been on the radar of several top European clubs, including Manchester City and Bayern Munich. However, he made it clear to Leverkusen that Liverpool was his preferred destination.
As per Sky Sports, the German club initially wanted around £126 million for the 22-year-old midfielder, but Liverpool negotiated a deal below that valuation.
The personal terms have already been agreed, with Wirtz reportedly rejecting more lucrative offers from other clubs.
Player profile
A look at his club career stats
Wirtz made his debut for Bayer Leverkusen at 17 in the 2019-20 season and has since scored 57 goals in 197 appearances for the club in all competitions.
In Leverkusen's domestic double-winning campaign under Xabi Alonso in 2023-24, he scored 18 goals in 49 appearances.
In the 2024-25 season, Wirtz managed 16 goals in 45 games.
The German international owns 35 Bundesliga goals in 140 appearances.
Meanwhile, he owns 63 assists for Leverkusen in all competitions, including 45 in the Bundesliga.
Transfer updates
Liverpool's transfer window so far
Liverpool have already signed Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen for £34 million and are in talks with Bournemouth over left-back Milos Kerkez, who is valued between £45 million and £50 million.
The club has sold Caoimhin Kelleher to Brentford for a fee that could rise to £18 million and made £8.4 million by allowing Trent Alexander-Arnold to join Real Madrid 29 days before his contract expired.
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Medical and contract signing next
As per Fabrizio Romano, Wirtz had already agreed to join the Reds two weeks ago with a move now imminent. Wirtz is set for a medical and contract signing once he returns from holiday.