Liverpool reach major Florian Wirtz breakthrough as 'verbal agreement' struck for English record deal

Liverpool have reportedly struck a verbal agreement with Bayer Leverkusen over the transfer of Florian Wirtz, who will become the most expensive signing in the history of the Premier League.

The Germany international has been relentlessly pursued by the Reds all summer long, and Arne Slot's side found themselves in a one-horse race when Manchester City withdrew their interest and Bayern Munich learned of Wirtz's desire to join Liverpool.

The Premier League champions had an initial two bids turned down by Leverkusen, who reportedly rejected offers worth £109m and £113m, and Liverpool subsequently prepared a final offer over the weekend.

The 2023-24 Bundesliga winners were always believed to have been holding out for a figure of €150m (£127m), and according to Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool have now bowed to their demands.

The esteemed journalist claims that Liverpool have verbally agreed to pay their German counterparts their desired fee, which will be attainable through performance-related add-ons.

Liverpool 'reach verbal agreement' for record Wirtz deal

Romano adds that Wirtz and Liverpool shook hands on personal terms a couple of weeks back, and the 22-year-old is supposedly set to become the Reds' second-highest paid player behind Mohamed Salah.

All that is left for Wirtz to do is complete his medical and put pen to paper on his Reds contract, after which he will be officially unveiled as Liverpool's third signing of the summer.

Wirtz will follow ex-Bayer Leverkusen teammate Jeremie Frimpong to the red half of Merseyside, as well as 20-year-old Hungarian goalkeeper Armin Pecsi.

Once the former FC Koln youngster is through the door, Liverpool are expected to ramp up their efforts to capture Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez, and they continue to be linked with a swoop for a new striker too.

Wirtz will depart Leverkusen with a record of 57 goals and 65 assists in 197 matches across all competitions, including 31 direct contributions in 2024-25, 16 of his own and 15 helpers.

Wirtz takes bronze medal in all-time most expensive transfers

No longer will misfiring striker Darwin Nunez be Liverpool's most expensive transfer of all time; Wirtz's switch - assuming it goes through without a hitch - trumps the Uruguayan's 2022 arrival by over £40m.

Not only will the prolific playmaker be the Reds' new record arrival, but also the most expensive transfer to ever involve an English club - either signing or selling.

Enzo Fernandez - Chelsea's £106m man - will soon be usurped as the Premier League's record arrival, while Philippe Coutinho's £122.7m transfer from Liverpool to Barcelona is still officially the most expensive deal involving an English team, but not for long.

The latter will also be knocked off the all-time transfer podium by Wirtz, who will also become the third most-expensive player in history, only trumped by Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.

The weight of expectation on the 22-year-old's shoulders could hardly be greater, but based off his time in Germany - where he has also had to battle back from a devastating ACL tear in 2022 - he may very well be worth the money.

Written by
Ben Knapton