Liverpool Shatter Transfer Record With £116M Deal For Florian Wirtz

Last Updated:June 13, 2025, 17:12 IST

Liverpool agreed to a club-record £116 million deal to sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen, potentially surpassing Chelsea's £115 million deal for Moises Caicedo.

Wirtz makes record-setting transfer to Premier League giants. (X)

Liverpool have agreed to a club-record deal worth up to £116 million ($157 million) to sign attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen, reports claimed.

British media indicated that the Premier League champions would pay an initial £100 million, significantly surpassing their previous record expenditure. Performance-related add-ons could potentially make it a British record.

German reports suggested the fee might rise to 150 million euros (£127 million, $172 million).

Liverpool’s total spending on the 22-year-old German international could exceed the £115 million Chelsea agreed to pay Brighton in 2023 for Moises Caicedo, who had turned down Anfield.

Caicedo cost Chelsea an initial £100 million, with the potential to rise to £115 million.

Darwin Nunez was Liverpool’s previous record signing in 2022, though they have not paid the full £85 million as not all add-on requirements have been met.

Manchester City had shown interest in Wirtz but withdrew, reportedly due to the escalating costs of the entire package.

Wirtz has been praised as one of the “best in the world" by former Bayer Leverkusen coach and ex-Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso, now the boss of Real Madrid.

After a quiet transfer market during Arne Slot’s first season in charge, the Reds are investing heavily to strengthen a side that claimed a record-equalling 20th English top-flight title.

Wirtz’s Leverkusen teammate Jeremie Frimpong has already joined Liverpool, and a deal for Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez is said to be well-advanced.

Wirtz played a crucial role in Leverkusen’s greatest season as they claimed their first-ever Bundesliga title and the German Cup in 2023/24 without losing a single game under Alonso.

Their only defeat that season, during which Wirtz was crowned Bundesliga player of the year, came in the Europa League final to Atalanta, denying Leverkusen a memorable treble.

Bayern Munich regained their dominance in German football last season, with Leverkusen finishing a distant second and Wirtz is part of an exodus from the BayArena.

Where Liverpool’s record signing fits into Slot’s plans remains to be seen.

Wirtz primarily played behind a central striker at Leverkusen and has also operated from a wider role for Germany.

With 57 goals and 65 assists in 197 games for Leverkusen, he has proven himself as both a creator and a goalscorer.

Liverpool already boasts an abundance of forward options, with Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz, and Cody Gakpo all posing a goal threat.

However, Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez, and Federico Chiesa now face even stiffer competition, and Liverpool might consider selling to free up additional transfer resources, with suggestions they could sign a specialist striker.

(with AFP inputs)

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News sports » football Liverpool Shatter Transfer Record With £116M Deal For Florian Wirtz