Not long now Liverpool fans. Florian Wirtz looks to be on the verge of completing his move to Anfield, with the final steps being taken this week.
The Reds have agreed a deal with Bayer Leverkusen which could see the club break the Premier League’s transfer record, with their Bundesliga counterparts set to receive a guaranteed $136 million, with another $22 million available in add-ons.
Wirtz is set to become Liverpool’s second major signing of the summer, following former Leverkusen teammate Jeremie Frimpong to Merseyside in the process. Milos Kerkez shouldn't be too far behind him either, with the Bournemouth left-back’s move a “done deal” according to his own family.
An announcement on Wirtz looks as though it could arrive any day now, with the German international scheduled to undergo his medical on Friday. In fact, journalist Ben Jacobs has claimed that the 22-year-old is flying to Liverpool on Thursday ahead of the move being completed.
Of course, this won’t be the first time that Wirtz has been to Liverpool’s training ground.
Although Liverpool.com understands previous reports of him meeting with club officials in Blackpool were wide of the mark, Wirtz has been at the AXA Training Centre before, and he was there alongside Frimpong.
Bayer Leverkusen players trained at Liverpool's AXA Training Centre back in November
Bayer Leverkusen players trained at Liverpool's AXA Training Centre back in November (Image: Getty Images)
Leverkusen used the Reds’ training ground before the Champions League league phase meeting back in November, which Liverpool went on to win 4-0 at Anfield.
Both Wirtz and Frimpong started that game, and joined their teammates at the AXA the day before as Leverkusen took a different approach, with teams usually training at the opposition’s home ground in European competitions.
Wirtz and Frimpong may well have taken an early opportunity to take a look around their future home, although at that point, a move for the latter looked a lot more likely than the former.
Nevertheless, Wirtz now looks set to join Arne Slot’s ranks, with former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann backing him to succeed on Merseyside.
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“I don’t think Florian Wirtz will be fazed because there have been rumours over his future for the last 12 months and it didn’t impact his performances once," Hamann told Wette.de.
“He is a fantastic player and all that uncertainty is gone now, it probably wasn’t easy for a while but he will love it at Liverpool.
“He doesn’t shirk a challenge and doesn’t mind getting physical. That’s why I think he is suited to the English game. In the past we have seen technical players struggle because of the physical side, but I don’t see that danger here.
“He is a brilliant footballer and is lethal going forwards, he will be the best player in the team and he could be the catalyst for Liverpool to dominate the Premier League for years to come.
“The fans will love him and these are exciting times, I can’t wait to see him wear the red shirt.”