Liverpool are closing in on a deal to sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen but they have had mixed success with their imports from Germany.
Wirtz has agreed personal terms with Liverpool and they have offered the Bundesliga side an initial £100million and another £13million in add-ons.
If the move is completed as expected, the Germany international will follow in the footsteps of Jeremie Frimpong, who has already swapped the BayArena for Anfield in a £29.5million deal.
We’ve ranked every player Liverpool have previously signed from the Bundesliga from worst to best.
21. Loris Karius
Signed from: Mainz 05
Fee: £4.75m
Year: 2016
Karius made 49 appearances for Liverpool but his time at the club is best remembered for one error-strewn performance against Real Madrid in the 2018 Champions League final.
20. Alou Diarra
Signed from: Bayern Munich
Fee: Free
Year: 2002
Liverpool fought off competition from Juventus to sign Diarra, who was compared to Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira by Gerard Houllier.
But the midfielder never made a first-team appearance for the Reds, spending three years out on loan before joining Lens on a permanent deal.
19. Alex Manninger
Signed from: FC Augsburg
Fee: Free
Year: 2016
A member of Arsenal’s 1998 title-winning squad, Manninger returned to the Premier League with Liverpool but didn’t make an appearance for the club and retired at the end of his one-year deal.
18. Samed Yesil
Signed from: Bayer Leverkusen
Fee: £1m
Year: 2012
Once regarded as one of the most talented prospects in German football, Yesil made his Bundesliga debut for Bayer Leverkusen at the age of 17.
The striker moved to Liverpool a few months later but two anterior cruciate ligament injuries derailed his progress, and he made just two first-team appearances for the club.
17. Sean Dundee
Signed from: Karlsruher
Fee: £1.8m
Year: 1998
Dundee spent just one season at Liverpool and failed to start a single game during the 1998/99 campaign, making only five substitute appearances.
“One player I do regret signing was Sean Dundee, he was terrible on and off the pitch,” Roy Evans said. “He didn’t take any notice of me, did what he wanted and lacked discipline. He certainly shouldn’t have joined Liverpool.”
16. Philipp Degen
Signed from: Borussia Dortmund
Fee: Free
Year: 2008
Degen made a horrible start to his Liverpool career, suffering two broken ribs and a punctured lung on his debut before breaking his metatarsal on his second appearance.
The right-back made just 11 more appearances for the club and spent the 2010/11 season on loan at Stuttgart before being released.
15. Erik Meijer
Signed from: Bayer Leverkusen
Fee: Free
Year: 1999
After his Bayer Leverkusen contract expired, Meijer joined Liverpool on a free transfer and acted as a backup to Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen.
The striker fell further down the pecking order following Emile Heskey’s arrival and scored just two goals in 26 appearances for the Reds.
14. Andriy Voronin
Signed from: Bayer Leverkusen
Fee: Free
Year: 2007
Voronin followed in the footsteps of Meijer by joining Liverpool following the expiration of his Bayer Leverkusen contract in 2007.
The former Ukraine international also struggled to make an impact at Anfield, scoring just six goals in 40 appearances in all competitions.
It’s Andriy Voronin’s birthday today. You remember him.
Former Liverpool striker. Things could have gone better, if we’re honest…
pic.twitter.com/nrXesNEeIa
— A Funny Old Game (@sid_lambert) July 21, 2023
13. Naby Keita
Signed from: RB Leipzig
Fee: £52.75m
Year: 2018
Liverpool forked out a then-club-record £52.75million to sign Keita from RB Leipzig and also gave him Steven Gerrard’s No.8 shirt.
The midfielder displayed glimpses of his talent but injury problems hampered his five-year stint at Anfield, limiting him to just 84 Premier League appearances.
12. Ragnar Klavan
Signed from: FC Augsburg
Fee: £4.2m
Year: 2016
Klavan made 53 appearances for Liverpool and became a fan favourite at Anfield, but he was deemed surplus to requirements following Virgil van Dijk’s arrival and was sold to Cagliari in 2018.
11. Karl-Heinz Riedle
Signed from: Borussia Dortmund
Fee: £1.3m
Year: 1997
After scoring a brace in Borussia Dortmund’s 3-1 victory over Juventus in the 1997 Champions League final, Riedle moved to Liverpool and became the first German to play for the club.
“From my point of view, Liverpool was a dream to play for one day,” he said. “I asked if it was OK and the club said ‘no problem’. I didn’t have to think twice.”
But the emergence of an 18-year-old Michael Owen limited his playing time, and he scored 15 goals in 76 appearances during a two-year stint at Anfield.
Karl-Heinz Riedle with a great goal away to Leeds United in 1997. pic.twitter.com/5rF1VbqRgU
— Davolaa (@Davolaar) June 16, 2023
10. Thiago
Signed from: Bayern Munich
Fee: £25m
Year: 2020
After winning the Premier League title in 2019/20, Liverpool bolstered their midfield options by signing Thiago from Bayern Munich.
The midfielder produced his best form in 2021/22 and was named in the Premier League Team of the Season, but his other three years at Anfield were plagued by injury issues.
9. Wataru Endo
Signed from: Stuttgart
Fee: £16.2m
Year: 2023
Having missed out on Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia in the summer of 2023, Liverpool signed the relatively unknown Endo from Stuttgart.
Despite playing a bit-part role in the Liverpool side, the Japan international has steadily carved out cult hero status at Anfield.
8. Emre Can
Signed from: Bayer Leverkusen
Fee: £9.75m
Year: 2014
Can established himself as a key player under Klopp and won the 2016/17 Premier League Goal of the Season award for his strike against Watford.
The Germany international made 167 appearances for the Reds but joined Juventus on a free transfer in 2018 after turning down the opportunity to sign a new contract at Anfield.
On This Day in 2016, Emre Can scored that overhead kick against Watford 🔥 #LFC pic.twitter.com/iKJLiSacHH
— TheKop.com (@TheKop_com) April 30, 2020
7. Markus Babbel
Signed from: Bayern Munich
Fee: Free
Year: 2000
Despite interest from Real Madrid, Babbel joined Liverpool on a free transfer following the expiry of his Bayern Munich contract.
The right-back won the FA Cup and the League Cup in his debut season before scoring the opening goal in the 2001 UEFA Cup final victory over Alaves.
He also won the Community Shield and the UEFA Super Cup but a serious illness derailed his Liverpool career, and he joined Stuttgart on a free transfer in 2004.
6. Patrik Berger
Signed from: Borussia Dortmund
Fee: £3.25m
Year: 1996
Berger was part of the Czech Republic side that reached the Euro 1996 final and his performances at the tournament attracted interest from Liverpool.
“I thought I would go back to Dortmund,” he said. “But the night before the final, we trained at Wembley. My agent told me as I came off the pitch. “I have some news — Liverpool want to sign you.” I couldn’t believe it. It was such a massive boost.
“I was playing in Dortmund with world-class players such as Julio Cesar, Matthias Sammer and Andreas Moller and had just won the league, but as soon as my agent said ‘Liverpool’ that was it.”
He scored 35 goals in 196 appearances during a seven-year stint at Liverpool and also registered 28 assists, including the pass that set up the winner for Michael Owen in the 2001 FA Cup final.
5. Dominik Szoboszlai
Signed from: RB Leipzig
Fee: £60.1m
Year: 2023
After Liverpool triggered the release clause in his contract, Szoboszlai took over the No.8 shirt from Keita and fared much better than his predecessor.
The 24-year-old midfielder is renowned for his impressive work rate and was a near-ever-present in their 2024/25 Premier League-winning campaign.
4. Ryan Gravenberch
Signed from: Bayern Munich
Fee: £34.3m
Year: 2023
Gravenberch arrived at Liverpool in the same summer as Szoboszlai but initially struggled for regular minutes in his debut season.
The Netherlands international turned things around under Arne Slot, winning the Premier League title and the PFA Young Player of the Year award in 2024/25.
3. Ibrahima Konate
Signed from: RB Leipzig
Fee: £35m
Year: 2021
Konate initially had to bide his time for opportunities after arriving at Liverpool in the summer of 2021 and also faced multiple injury setbacks.
But the France international has now established himself as Van Dijk’s defensive partner, and he is widely regarded as one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League.
2. Joel Matip
Signed from: Schalke
Fee: Free
Year: 2016
The third signing of the Klopp era, Matip initially played alongside Dejan Lovren and went on to form a brilliant centre-back partnership with Van Dijk.
He made 201 appearances for Liverpool and his most memorable moment came in the 2019 Champions League final, where he kept a clean sheet and provided an assist for Divock Origi’s goal in the 2-0 win.
“In a world of big transfer fees, to sign a player like Joel Matip on a free transfer is incredible,” Klopp said. “It was maybe one of the best pieces of business we did in the last few years.”
Origi ✨#UCL pic.twitter.com/K3BrkGijyY
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) July 29, 2024
1. Roberto Firmino
Signed from: Hoffenheim
Fee: £29m
Year: 2015
Firmino enjoyed a trophy-laden eight-year spell at Liverpool, winning a Premier League title, the Champions League, an FA Cup, the Carabao Cup, a UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.
The Brazil international played an integral role in that success by scoring 111 goals and registering 76 assists in 362 appearances in all competitions.
“Bobby is crucial for us, the heart and soul of this team, the way we played in the last years was only possible because of Bobby,” Klopp said.
READ MORE: Florian Wirtz: Four transfer records that Liverpool will shatter when blockbuster deal goes through