Liverpool have agreed a deal with Bayer Leverkusen for Florian Wirtz, with the financial package setting a new club and British transfer record.
Journalists are now in complete agreement that Liverpool have finalised a deal with Leverkusen for the transfer of Wirtz, with the deal worth a British record fee.
It remains to be seen exactly how much will be paid, with sources on Merseyside including The Athletic‘s James Pearce reporting it as up to £116 million while those in Germany claim it will be €150 million (£127.6m).
Liverpool sources insist the deal will be worth an initial £100 million guaranteed with a further £16 million in various add-ons.
Either way the total package surpasses the previous British transfer record set when Moises Caicedo joined Chelsea for £115 million and exceeds the Reds’ previous club record for Darwin Nunez (£85m).
With a deal struck between the two clubs, Wirtz is now free to undergo his medical on Merseyside before completing media formalities at the AXA Training Centre ahead of his unveiling.
• READ: Only Wirtz matched impressive Salah record across top 5 leagues
Leverkusen had set their price tag of €150 million (£127.6m) for the talented 22-year-old after previously seeing Liverpool trigger the release clause of Jeremie Frimpong.
The deal for the German international comes as a significant marker in the evolution of Liverpool’s squad under Arne Slot, with left-back Milos Kerkez’s signature expected to follow.
Wirtz rejected Bayern Munich and Man City in favour of joining the Reds’ juggernaut, convinced by Slot’s plan for himself and the future success of the team the Dutchman is forging.
What Liverpool are getting with Wirtz
The 22-year-old, voted the Bundesliga’s Players’ Player of the Season, played 2,355 minutes in 31 league matches, scoring 10 and assisting 12.
His FotMob average rating of 7.69 is the sixth highest in the division, with only Omar Marmoush, Michael Olise, Harry Kane, Joshua Kimmich and Jamal Musiala rating higher.
Wirtz’s form remained pretty consistent throughout the season, with no sustained period of poor performance.
• WIRTZ IN FOCUS: Elite passing, creation and dribbling
The German’s successful dribbles per 90 minutes of 3.13, meanwhile, is far higher than any other Liverpool player last season.
The Reds’ highest was Luis Diaz (1.98). The Colombian’s successful dribble rate of 50 percent is almost identical to Wirtz’s (50.9%).
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