Florian Wirtz transfer: Liverpool agree to $135 million deal plus add-ons for Bayer Leverkusen superstar
Liverpool have agreed a deal to sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for an initial $135 million, according to CBS Sports sources. The agreement to sign the German international could ultimately break the British transfer record set by Chelsea when they signed Enzo Fernandez from Benfica for just short of $145 million.
The final price Liverpool could pay for Wirtz remains subject to clauses and its final value is unclear. Sources in Germany suggest the ultimate fee could approach the full $170 million that Leverkusen wanted for their star player, while it has also been suggested that the maximum cost Liverpool will pay is around $157 million.
Wirtz is now free to finalize personal terms with Liverpool. This is not expected to be a significant hurdle given that rival suitors Bayern Munich and Manchester City bowed out of the race as it became apparent that the 22-year-old favored a switch to the English champions. Wirtz is understood to be on vacation, once he returns he would also need to complete a medical before officially making the switch to Anfield.
Whatever the final cost of Wirtz it will be the most Liverpool have ever paid for a player, eclipsing their previous investment in Darwin Nunez, on whom they committed up to $115 million to Benfica. It is also a record sale for Leverkusen, who had previously banked $115 million from Chelsea for Kai Havertz.
Wirtz was the man handed the reins as Leverkusen's creative force following Havertz's departure in 2020, the former Cologne prodigy swiftly establishing himself as one of Europe's outstanding playmakers. Wirtz would leave the Bay Arena with 59 goals and 63 assists to his name in 201 appearances, the star player in the remarkable Leverkusen side who won the Bundesliga title and DFB Pokal in an undefeated domestic campaign across the 2023-24 season.
Wirtz's likely arrival would follow that of his former Leverkusen team mate Jeremie Frimpong as Liverpool look to invest heavily in the side that romped to the Premier League title last season. Generally deployed as the left sided in a pair of attacking midfielders during Xabi Alonso's Leverkusen tenure, Wirtz's versatility would doubtless be valued by Arne Slot, who could play him centrally, on the left side or potentially even through the middle.
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