Liverpool are closing in on a deal for Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz but there are still issues which need to be resolved to get it over the line
STUTTGART, GERMANY - JULY 05: Florian Wirtz of Germany gets upset at the end of the extra time of the UEFA Euro 2024 quarter-final football match between Spain and Germany at the Stuttgart Arena on July 05, 2024 in Stuttgart, Germany. (Photo by Gokhan Balci/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Liverpool are closing in on Wirtz deal(Image: Anadolu, Anadolu via Getty Images)
Florian Wirtz to Liverpool is now down to the details and that means there should be a signature soon.
But it’s not done yet and what needs to be done to get it over the line is around the add-ons Bayer Leverkusen want, how the deal is structured and, like most modern transfers, the payment plan. Liverpool have committed to pay £100m guaranteed. That is a huge figure and more than the club has ever paid for a single player even including add-ons.
That shows the belief within Anfield for the ability of the Germany international both now and in the future with those who have watched him intently sure there’s still huge scope for improvement for a player who had 30 goal contributions last season.
Wirtz, 22, wants only to move to Merseyside and, when a player is intent on joining one club, it means a deal will invariably get done because it suits all parties. But Bayer Leverkusen are standing firm on what they believe the player is worth and on the other side Liverpool have a value in their own head.
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The Reds are, at this stage, unwilling to match the £127m (€150m) that the Bundesliga club want the total package to be. Speculation on Tuesday night that Liverpool had agreed to such a number is understood to be wide of the mark, certainly at this stage.
That’s why the talks are ongoing. There has been consistent dialogue between the two clubs since last week when the Reds tabled an offer worth around £114m. That was just shy of the £115m which Chelsea paid Brighton for Moises Caicedo in 2023. Liverpool also agreed to pay Brighton £111m for Caicedo in the same summer but the player opted for Stamford Bridge.
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So the offer for Wirtz was the most Liverpool have ever offered for a single player in their history and it will smash their transfer record of £85m (including add-ons) for Darwin Nunez, who they signed from Benfica in 2022. It was stressed earlier this week that Leverkusen did not reject the £114m total bid last week but they have also not accepted it.
The finer details of that include what Wirtz and Liverpool must achieve during the course of his contract at Liverpool to trigger the payments over £100m are still being discussed, as well as the total figure. So there’s still a chance that the Reds may have to break the British transfer record to get the deal done.
Florian Wirtz of Leverkusen smiles
Wirtz could be the most expensive buy in Britain(Image: Getty Images)
The £100m will be guaranteed but, like any modern deal, will be paid in instalments over a number of years while the add-ons will then be paid as and when they are triggered. It’s a complex and complicated deal but nothing out of the ordinary for a player so highly-sought after and a financial package so eye-watering everything must be perfect on both sides before contracts are signed.
Liverpool and Leverkusen must now find common ground on those add-ons to get it over the line. Sources on either side are not going to divulge their ‘final figure’ for fear of showing their hand.
There’s no rush on either side to get it done. Both want it right and Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes continues to work with his counterpart in Leverkusen, Simon Rolfes. The transfer window is now closed again until next week but deals can still be agreed and medicals done.
Liverpool would prefer to get Wirtz over the line so he can enjoy his break without the need to return for medical checks and contract signings before reporting for pre-season in early July. But a private jet flight to Merseyside is not going to be too much of a bother for a player who has turned down Manchester City and Bayern Munich to move to Merseyside. The Wirtz deal getting done is certainly a case of when and not if now.
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