Florian Wirtz is likely to make his Liverpool debut on July 13, which is when the Reds are due to play the first friendly of their preseason schedule.
Liverpool is continuing to work on a deal for the Germany international, with Bild reporting that the transfer is close to being completed.
It emerged last month that Wirtz had decided that he wants to join Liverpool over Bayern Munich, in something of a shock choice considering Bayern's track record of hoovering up the best German talent. Liverpool has seen several bids rejected for Wirtz, but personal terms with the player have been sorted, and coming to an agreement on a transfer fee is understood to be a formality.
Reports over the weekend indicated that Leverkusen is set to slightly drop its asking price for Wirtz, after a third Liverpool bid was knocked back.
It is claimed a fee of around $160 million (£118M) could finally be agreed between the clubs in the coming days amid reports a medical has already been scheduled.
The outlet adds Liverpool plans to offer about €140M ($160M/£118M) “in a package consisting of a fixed transfer fee and realistic additional payments”. A contract running until 2030 has been agreed, and then Wirtz will head off on vacation.
It comes as the 22-year-old’s 2024/25 campaign finally draws to a close. Wirtzplayed 180 minutes across Germany’s double header in the Nations League last week, but ended on the losing side twice: a 2-1 defeat by Portugal, a game in which Wirtz scored, was followed by a 2-0 loss to France in the third-place play-off.
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Including international games, Wirtz played 53 games in a campaign that saw him voted the Bundesliga’s Player of the Season for a second year in a row.
His move to Liverpool will need to be completed before Tuesday’s deadline if it is to be ratified during the first window. Although, given the market reopens again the following Monday, there will be little concern if the transfer is not concluded in time.
Meanwhile, former Liverpool midfielder Don Hutchison believes signing Wirtz and Milos Kerkez to go with the addition of Jeremie Frimpong would represent one of the club's "best transfer windows for a long time."
Hutchison told Gambling Zone: "If you're a Liverpool fan and those three were in… Frimpong's already done. But if you had Wirtz and Kerkez signing on top of what you've already got, what a window that would be.
"And the other victory this window was keeping Mo Salah and keeping Van Dijk. Two special players that you know, just literally cannot replace."