Florian Wirtz will not be the last player that Liverpool signs this summer, in all likelihood. But he might well be the most expensive — and it might be by some distance.
While the transfer has not been officially confirmed yet, it is understood that Liverpool has a deal in place with Bayer Leverkusen. It is worth a guaranteed $134 million (£100 million) with a further $22 million (£16 million) in add-ons.
Once he has completed his medical, Wirtz will become a Liverpool player. And should he perform to the level expected after such a big move and all the add-ons are activated, he will overtake Moises Caicedo as the most expensive British transfer of all time.
It is a lot of money for any club to spend, let alone one like Liverpool, which tends to be cautious in the transfer market. But Wirtz is viewed as a special case — someone who can elevate the team in the same way that Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk did.
The 22-year-old has all the tools required to make a decisive impact in the final third of the field. Last season, he provided 31 goal contributions for Bayer Leverkusen and was the fulcrum around which the Bundesliga side's attack was built.
Wirtz's direct impact, though, is just one way that he will improve the team. In addition to making those around him better by providing quality chances for them to score from, he will also level up the competition within the Liverpool roster.
In his debut campaign at the helm, Arne Slot didn't always rotate his starting XI that much. With more players that he trusts, however, that could change — and it would be beneficial in keeping everyone at their sharpest.
Dominik Szoboszlai of Hungary vies with Florian Wirtz of Germany during the UEFA EURO 2024 group stage match between Germany and Hungary at Stuttgart Arena
Dominik Szoboszlai of Hungary vies with Florian Wirtz of Germany during the UEFA EURO 2024 group stage match between Germany and Hungary at Stuttgart Arena (Image: 2024 Stefan Matzke - sampics)
Wirtz's arrival will mean that someone has to drop out of the first-choice starting XI, assuming that he hits the ground running, as you would expect, and that the Liverpool team is built around him and Mohamed Salah.
And asked if he was worried about losing his place in the Liverpool team to Wirtz, Dominik Szoboszlai said this week: "No, I don't think so. I think he knows that getting into a Premier League-winning team is a hard job and takes work."
"Of course, if they buy a player for €150m, they probably won’t keep him on the bench," Szoboszlai is quoted by GiveMeSport as telling reporters in Hungary. "But then we have to find a way to play together.
"If you say that it will be difficult for me, then we’ll wait and see how it will be after pre-season. In the end, you might be right, but I don’t give up easily."
In signing Wirtz, Liverpool will get an incredible player who is arguably already in the top 10 soccer stars in the world. It will also, though, get a better version of Szoboszlai — and others — as they are driven to keep up with his high standards.
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Fanatics Official Sports Apparel — Liverpool
Playing both Szoboszlai and Wirtz in the same team should be far from impossible. In fact, unless an elite striker like Alexander Isak becomes available, it might even be the best bet for Arne Slot.
Playing with two number 10s worked nicely for the Liverpool boss against Manchester City, and he also tried playing Szoboszlai deeper against Brighton at the back end of the previous campaign.
"Dominik is playing as an eight, with Ryan (Gravenberch) as a six and Harvey (Elliott) a bit more forward," Slot explained at the Amex Stadium. "Dominik sees his best position as an eight as well, so it will be interesting to see how he does."
Moving Szoboszlai back would mean losing either Alexis Mac Allister or Ryan Gravenberch from midfield, which doesn't seem likely. But having the usual midfield three with Wirtz in front as a false nine would offer plenty of threat.
Either way, Szoboszlai is going to have to move up another gear to maintain his status as a key man, even though he had a good season under Slot and was a mainstay for Liverpool.
There is a new option in town — or at least there soon will be — and everyone is going to want to make a statement to ensure it isn't their spot that Wirtz is set to take. Szoboszlai, it seems, is already getting ready.