Liverpool are on the brink of smashing the British transfer record to sign Florian Wirtz this month, having already signed right-back Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen
Liverpool owner John W Henry on the phone next to his wife Linda Pizzuti Henry in the Anfield stands for Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur, Premier League, 27 Apr 2025
A single text message from the Liverpool owners sums up how far they have come
(Image: Kieran McManus/REX/Shutterstock)
As Liverpool's big money chase for Florian Wirtz edges towards completion, supporters may remember a telling text from FSG that was revealed by Jurgen Klopp. The Reds have now had a bid of £100million plus an additional £16m in add-ons accepted by Bayer Leverkusen.
Arne Slot's side have been pulling out all the stops to secure the 22-year-old German international. And the accepted fee will be a new Premier League record, surpassing the £115m Chelsea paid to sign Moises Caicedo from Brighton and Hove Albion in 2023.
It also eclipses the £75m Liverpool paid Southampton for Virgil van Dijk, which has been the club's record transfer since it was completed in January 2018.
Wirtz is highly regarded across Europe and was strongly linked with Manchester City and Bayern Munich. His arrival underline's FSG's aggressive approach this summer, having previously been hesitant to spend £100m in a whole transfer window, let alone on a single player.
In the past, Liverpool fans have accused FSG of being too frugal, but Wirtz's imminent arrival indicates a loosening of the purse strings. If a deal is completed, Reds fans will surely be overjoyed, particularly as the club has regularly been outspent by City, Manchester United and Chelsea.
Throughout his tenure, Klopp publicly defended FSG, but made it clear behind closed doors that further investment in the squad was crucial for silverware.
When he took charge of Liverpool, the club was languishing in 10th place with a squad showing its years. Dissatisfied with the players they had provided him, Klopp received a contrite text from FSG's top brass apologising for the quality of the squad he had.
In 2021, Klopp said: "At the beginning I received a message from the US saying, 'Sorry for the squad we've given you.' But all was good I replied, it just needs time."
Liverpool's manager Jurgen Klopp and club owner John W Henry during the opening of the new stand and facilities at Anfield on September 9, 2016 in Liverpool, England.
The Liverpool board apologised to Klopp for the state of the first squad he inherited
A couple of years after sharing details of that text, Liverpool were beaten 5-2 at Anfield by Real Madrid. It was the kind of humbling that typically sparks a significant reaction in the following transfer window.
The month before, Klopp publicly warned that Liverpool risk falling behind their domestic and continental competition. He said: "I believe in coaching, I believe in developing, I believe in team-building and using those things 100%. But meanwhile in the world out there the managers are really good.
Bayer Leverkusen attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz.
Liverpool have acted quickly to try and secure Florian Wirtz's services(Image: Jorg Schuler/Bayer 04 Leverkusen via Getty Images)
"There are so many good managers out there it's crazy. So they believe in that as well, and if they start really properly spending and do those things as well, then you cannot not spend or you will have a little bit of a problem."
In Klopp's final summer transfer window, the club fully heeded his advice, overhauling their midfield by bringing in Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo for a combined £155m. After Klopp's departure, many were surprised that Slot only managed to sign Federico Chiesa and Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili – who stayed in La Liga for an extra season – in his first two transfer windows.
However, after clinching the Premier League title, FSG have demonstrated a level of spending ambition typically associated with City, United and Chelsea. Their swift move for Wirtz underscores FSG's proactive approach, showing they're not afraid to splash out on a potential game-changer.
Full-back Jeremie Frimpong has already joined this summer for £29.5m, while Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez, valued at £45m, could also follow suit.
Clearly, FSG are keen to build on their title success from Slot's inaugural season. It's a stark contrast to the text message they sent to Klopp all those years ago.