Florian Wirtz should become a Liverpool player next week, with the player due to undertake his medical and media duties after returning from his holiday.
Earlier this week a verbal agreement was reported between Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen over a deal worth up to €150 million (£127.6m).
That was downplayed as premature by sources close to the club, but there is now an expectation that Wirtz’s transfer will finally go through next week.
Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg and transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano both claim the move will be finalised when the No. 10 returns from his post-season holiday.
That will include a medical, with Plettenberg reporting this will take place “next week at the latest” along with his contract signing and media duties with the club.
Romano describes the deal as being “100 percent agreed,” which aligns with the latest from German publication kicker.
kicker explain that Liverpool “put together a transfer package totalling around €150 million” which “includes easily achievable bonuses as well as those highly dependent on sporting success.”
One of the performance-based add-ons is said to see Leverkusen earn a portion of the fee if Wirtz wins the Champions League.
Speaking to CBS Sports, reliable German journalist Rafa Honigstein repeated that the transfer will go through following the 22-year-old’s holiday, and provided an interesting insight into recent reporting.
Honigstein has suggested that sources from Liverpool will insist the package is cheaper than €150 million while Leverkusen will stick with that valuation, as “both sides want to look as if they got a great deal here.”
“But the bottom line is that Wirtz is coming and I think Liverpool fans should be very, very excited,” he added.
Speaking to journalists at Bayern Munich’s camp ahead of the Club World Cup, sporting director Max Eberl claimed that the Bundesliga champions could not match Liverpool’s financial thrust.
“If I’m being honest, I don’t know if we could have matched what Liverpool are apparently paying now,” Eberl said, per Sky Germany.
“It was clear, the entire club communicated that the player was outstanding. And that we could very well have imagined him moving to FC Bayern.
“Everyone was involved, everyone was at the table. But Florian then decided otherwise, even though the discussions were very good.”
Eberl added: “Florian will make his way at Liverpool. He’s an exceptional player.”
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