Liverpool manager Arne Slot looks on
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot
If there is anything the last weeks have told us, it is that the mean business in the summer transfer market. Right-back from Bayer Leverkusen, negotiations have continued with the German club , and now there.
It is an exciting time with the Premier League champions evidently learning from the last time they took the crown and getting ahead with signings that could help maintain a sustained period of dominance. As Reach PLC's business of football writer, Dave Powell, has explained before, when it comes to the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR) or UEFA’s financial cost control rules. Headroom is 'likely to be above the £200m mark'.
But they will quickly find themselves reaching that earmarked total based on talks currently underway. Frimpong, as mentioned, first through the door cost £29.5m.
A £109m bid has already been rejected for Wirtz with Leverkusen believed to be holding out for £126m - a sum that smashes the current £115m British transfer record.
And then Bournemouth could still drive a hard bargain for Kerkez, knowing just how effective the 21-year-old was last season whilst managing to play in all 38 Premier League matches last season, with a £45m fee reportedly set to be needed to secure his signature.
Add them all together and we reach a £200.5m spend, all potentially done within the 10-day window before the FIFA Club World Cup gets underway - now that would be highly impressive, especially for Liverpool.
Yes, there will be measures in place to ensure the club does not put itself under any financial stresses with other business, namely for a new forward, talked of before the summer began. For example Frimpong's fee has been split into three equal instalments payable over the next three years, and the inclusion of add-ons in deals for Wirtz and Kerkez would also go a long way to budgeting effectively.
But keeping on top of their expenditure is the true way of keeping Liverpool on their perch - you never know what is around the corner, some form of injury crisis or an unexpected exit could require a quick fix, and the dream of a new No.9 gets put on hold.
But an upcoming free agent could solve that issue.
Five months ago, Jonathan David somewhat silenced Anfield - albeit for five minutes - when he equalised for Lille against Liverpool in a tightly-fought Champions League clash. With the striker out of contract in France this summer, it was a goal that made many sit up and take note of the Canada international.
Jonathan David celebrates after equalising against Liverpool at Anfield in last season's Champions League league phase (Image: Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)
June 30 will be his last day contracted to Lille having already confirmed he will leave, and he is yet to make an agreement with another club to sign as things stand - although there are reports that Italian side Napoli have held talks with his representatives.
Playing in Europe for the French club and Belgian outfit Genk before joining Lille in 2020, the 25-year-old has scored 146 and assisted 45 in 315 total appearances. That equates to a contribution every 1.6 outings.
David is also a fully fledged Canadian international, scoring 32 in whilst earning 61 caps to become the nation's leading all-time scorer.
And last but not least, he's passed the tried and tested examination of scoring against the Reds. His Champions League goal against the Reds left Alan Shearer impressed, as the pundit told Amazon Prime that January night David equalised at Anfield: "I like a bit of everything. He doesn't mind coming short, he wants the ball to feet and you mentioned his goalscoring record. For the last few years he's got 20 plus in Ligue 1. [He is] obviously a threat.
"Whether he's good enough, I think he has to go to another level if that's going to attract interest from the top four in the Premier League. But where better to put himself in the shop window than at Anfield tonight and against on of the world's best centre-backs in [Virgil] van Dijk?"
With Liverpool on track to potential sign-off on a £200m spend in the opening weeks of the summer window, David offers a wildcard option for a low risk, free signing that has already proven a danger to Arne Slot's team and many others.