Liverpool complete €117m club-record signing of Florian Wirtz

By Carl Markham, PA

Premier League champions Liverpool have completed the £100 million (€117 million) club-record signing of Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen.

The deal for the 22-year-old Germany international could potentially become a British record as there are £16 million (€18.7 million)of add-ons included, which would surpass the existing mark of £115 million (€134 million) which Chelsea paid for Moises Caicedo in 2023.

It is understood Liverpool will be happy to pay these “aspirational bonuses” as it will mean they have enjoyed considerable success at elite level.

Wirtz has signed a five-year contract and the capture of one of Europe’s most highly-rated talents is seen as a significant coup for the club having initially faced competition from Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.

Leverkusen had valued Wirtz at £126 million but a compromise was reached last week, although the up-front fee easily outstrips the £85 million deal Liverpool agreed with Benfica in 2022 for Darwin Nunez, who is expected to leave this summer.

Wirtz is Liverpool’s second signing of the summer, following close friend and Leverkusen team-mate Jeremie Frimpong to Anfield, and with the Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Marmadashvilli joining next month after a deal was agreed a year ago spending has already reached £175 million.

That is set to be pushed beyond the £200 million mark with a £40 milliom fee agreed for Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez.

It is their biggest summer window since 2018 when Naby Keita, Fabinho, Xherdan Shaqiri and Alisson Becker were recruited for around £170 million, with Virgil van Dijk having signed for £75 million the previous January.

Owners Fenway Sports Group have, despite their ‘Moneyball’ reputation, not been afraid to splash out big fees for transformative players like Van Dijk and Alisson – and Wirtz falls into that category.

The club have already recouped around £26 million with the departures of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Caoimhin Kelleher with further funds expected to be generated from the likes of Nunez, Harvey Elliott, Federico Chiesa and potentially Andy Robertson, who is a target for Atletico Madrid.

“I feel very happy and very proud. I was waiting for a long time – finally it’s done and I am really happy,” Wirtz told the club’s website.

“I’m really excited to have a new adventure in front of me. This was also a big point of my thoughts: that I want to have something completely new, to go out of the Bundesliga and to join the Premier League.

“I will see how I can perform there. I hope I can do my best. I spoke also with some players who played there and they told me that it’s perfect for me and every pitch is perfect, you can enjoy every game. I’m really looking forward to playing my first game.

“I would like to win everything every year! First of all, we have to do our work, I have to make my work.

“In the end, we want to be successful. Last season they won the Premier League so my goal is for sure to win it again and also to go further in the Champions League. I’m really ambitious.”