Florian Wirtz joins Liverpool as stunning £116m British record transfer is completed

Liverpool have completed the signing of Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen in a blockbuster deal which could eventually eclipse the previous British transfer record of £115million

Florian Wirtz has completed his £116m move to Liverpool as the Reds £200m summer spending spree continues.

The Germany star underwent a two-day medical on Merseyside and conducted his media duties before being unveiled by the club. Wirtz, 22, arrived in Liverpool on Thursday afternoon and began the tests. He arrived at the club’s training ground on Friday morning to do the second part of the medical before the deal was rubber stamped.

The Reds will pay £100m upfront to Bayer Leverkusen with the rest due in add-ons which are linked to both the individual success of the player and the team. He has signed a five-year deal with the Reds in a deal which breaks the club record £85m they agreed to pay Benfica for Darwin Nunez in 2022.

And should they hit all the add-ons in the deal it will surpass the £115m Chelsea paid Brighton for Moises Caicedo in 2023, which currently stands as the British transfer record.

The Reds negotiated a fee lower than the £127m package which Leverkusen were trying to hold out for.

“I feel very happy and very proud” said Wirtz. “Finally it’s done and I was waiting for a long time – finally it’s done and I am really happy.

“I’m really excited to have a new adventure in front of me. This was also a big point of my thoughts: that I want to have something completely new, to go out of the Bundesliga and to join the Premier League.

“I will see how I can perform there. I hope I can do my best. I spoke also with some players who played there and they told me that it’s perfect for me and every pitch is perfect, you can enjoy every game. I’m really looking forward to playing my first game.”

Asked about his targets with the club, he added: “I would like to win everything every year! First of all, we have to do our work, I have to make my work.

“In the end, we want to be successful. Last season they won the Premier League so my goal is for sure to win it again and also to go further in the Champions League. I’m really ambitious.”

Wirtz made it clear he wanted to move to Merseyside late last month after turning down advances from Manchester City and Bayern Munich. Real Madrid also had an initial interest but decided to pursue other targets.

The £100m will be guaranteed but, like any modern deal, will be paid in instalments over a number of years while the add-ons will then be paid as and when they are triggered.

The huge figure shows the belief within Anfield for the ability of the Germany international both now and in the future. Those who have watched him intently are sure there’s still huge scope for improvement for a player who had 30 goal contributions last season.

Liverpool’s spending this summer is set to go north of £200m as they are also set to land Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth after agreeing a £40m fee. The Hungary left-back will travel to Merseyside for a medical next week.

Jeremie Frimpong has already been signed from Leverkusen for £29.5m Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili is arriving from Valencia for around £30m after spending last season on loan with the La Liga club. But Liverpool’s spending is not stopping there: defender Jarell Quansah is closing in on a £35m move to Bayer Leverkusen and that means the Reds could move for Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi.

While a striker remains a target, especially if Nunez departs as expected. Newcastle front man Alexander Isak is certainly admired at Liverpool, among other clubs.

Although, the Magpies are under no pressure to sell due to PSR rules so it would take a huge change in stance for them to suddenly listen to offers especially with Champions League football this season.

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