It’s been nearly three weeks now since news broke that Liverpool were in the thick of the race to sign 22-year-old German and Bayer Leverkusen superstar attacker Florian Wirtz in a blockbuster transfer deal likely to set a new British transfer record.
That transfer, it appears, is now all but officially a done deal, with widespread reports of a £116M (€136M) transfer fee having been accepted by Leverkusen—a step back down from past reports claiming Leverkusen had successfully held firm on their €150M valuation.
Further, Liverpool sources claim that top line number includes some very difficult to achieve add-ons of the player wins the Ballon d’Or and multiple Champions Leagues variety, offering some small protection in case the transfer doesn’t pan out.
Regardless, it’s a massive fee, with £100M (€118) said to be guarunteed while £16M (€19M) is made up of add-ons, some of which will be easily achievable. German reports have said the medical will be done and Wirtz will sign his Liverpool contract next week.
Depending on the source and how one accounts for add-ons, either Enzo Fernandez (who Chelsea have paid a full £107M for) and Moises Caicedo (who Chelsea agreed a deal with £100M up front and £15M of add-ons) is the current British record transfer.
The Wirtz deal’s top line number, then, make him a new record British transfer, even if Chelsea will likely have paid more for both of players at least initially—and Germany’s record sale remains Ousmane Dembele’s €148M move from Dortmund to Barcelona.