Liverpool were able to break their transfer record back in January 2018 with a £75m move for Virgil van Dijk.
The Reds found themselves in a position to make the Netherlands international the most expensive defender on the planet just before selling Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona in a £146m deal – a move the Brazilian memorably agitated for, even handing in a transfer request in 2017.
That club-record transfer fee has now been broken after Liverpool agreed a £116m deal to sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen, although Arne Slot might have a similar issue to the once Jurgen Klopp had in 2017 later down the line.
Florian Wirtz said he has “always wanted” to play for Barcelona in 2021
The Germany international has committed himself to a five-year contract at Anfield, but things might have been different had Barcelona been in a better financial situation, and in a position to compete for his signature.
Wirtz called Barcelona his dream club during an interview with BILD back in 2021, admitting to the German news outlet: “As a young boy, I always wanted to play for Barcelona. Nothing has changed about that.”
The Spanish giants are currently on the up under Hansi Flick, coming within minutes of reaching the UEFA Champions League final last season while also winning La Liga and the Copa del Rey, so a move to Catalonia in future cannot be ruled out based on what he told BILD in 2021 – especially if Liverpool fail to maintain the high standards Slot set last term.
What Jurgen Klopp said after Philippe Coutinho handed in his transfer request
Klopp was pretty bullish after Coutinho – who Dominic Solanke recently hailed – asked to leave Liverpool back in the summer of 2017, telling reporters: “He cannot play for Liverpool in this moment. How everyone can imagine, that’s quite a blow for us. We knew (for) a few days about it, so we can prepare this game without him.
“I really understand that everybody is interested in this, but I can’t say that in this moment I’m thinking about it.”
Jordan Henderson added: “If you asked everyone they’d all want him to stay because he’s a world class player. It’s a difficult situation… whatever I say probably won’t help the situation. As players, you expect in transfer windows things like this to happen, whether players are going or coming in.”
What Jurgen Klopp thinks of Florian Wirtz signing
As a German, Klopp has unsurprisingly kept a close eye on Wirtz, who could shine with Milos Kerkez, amidst his breakthrough at Bayer Leverkusen and also across his 31 appearances for Germany.
Therefore, it should speak volumes that the 58-year-old thinks Liverpool have pulled off a cracking deal.
The former Liverpool boss told RTL/NTV: “This is going to be absolutely fantastic, I’m sure of it. It’s very hard to strengthen a team when you’re champions, but Liverpool have managed it.”