Liverpool are edging closer to a Premier League-record move for Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz, according to reports - with manager Arne Slot looking to bolster his attacking ranks with the confirmation of the German international in the coming days, after the Reds finally agreed a fee 'in principle' for the sought-after star.
Wirtz has been on the radar of various big clubs this summer, including Bayern Munich and Manchester City - but the end of May saw Liverpool take a huge leap in the race for his signature after reports emerged that the midfield wizard had chosen Anfield as his preferred destination. That ruled out a move to the Bundesliga champions or Pep Guardiola's men, in what could prove to make all the difference in terms of silverware next season.
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Talks have been ongoing for weeks in a bid to finalise a deal early in pre-season for both Liverpool's benefit, and for Leverkusen's, as it would give them time to source a suitable replacement.
And that appears to have taken another step forward, with a report by Ben Jacobs on X (formerly Twitter) saying that Liverpool have reached an 'agreement in principle' with Leverkusen for the signing of Wirtz, as the German edges ever-closer to joining the Premier League champions.
It's believed that a fee of £100million guaranteed will supplement a potential £16million in add-ons, making the move a Premier League record should Wirtz accomplish those performance-related extras, slightly eclipsing the £115million deal that saw Moises Caicedo move from Brighton to Chelsea two years ago.
Furthermore, Jacobs states that the 'vast majority' of the £16million fee is linked to Liverpool winning major trophies, and Wirtz being in the team whilst achieving that total - which is the entire reason that he was brought to the club.
Crucially, the fee is less than Fabrizio Romano claimed, with the Italian journalist believing the fee to be £127.5million when he delivered his bombshell 'here we go' statement on Tuesday evening.
Wirtz's 69 goal contributions in the past two seasons for Leverkusen will look to be utilised at Anfield, with the Reds clearly keen on securing the Premier League title again, as well as notching the Champions League for the first time in what would be seven years.
Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 13-06-25.
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