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Liverpool's negotiations with Bayer Leverkusen to sign Florian Wirtz, pictured playing for Germany against Portugal this week, are continuing (Image: James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)

Liverpool remain locked in talks with Bayer Leverkusen over a club-record deal for Florian Wirtz.

The Reds’ latest offer was worth an overall £113m, but the Bundesliga outfit are holding out for more as transfer negotiations continue.

It is likely that Liverpool will now have to break not only their own transfer record but the British record too to land the German playmaker, with Leverkusen braced for an improved offer from the Reds.

Liverpool had offered an initial £100m for the 22-year-old, with the additional £13m coming in performance-related add-ons.

Leverkusen had been holding out for closer to their asking price of £126m.

And though the Reds are currently unwilling to meet that full fee, a compromise is likely to be met.

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The 22-year-old, who started for Germany in the Nations League third-place play-off against France on Sunday, has already confirmed his desire to move to Anfield with Leverkusen resigned to losing the playmaker as a result.

The Reds had already seen an £109m offer rejected by Leverkusen last weekend, with the ECHO previously reporting that it was thought that the German side were at least holding out for a deal closer to £115m.

It has now been suggested that an £118m bid would be enough to strike a deal as talks continue.

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Such a bid would break the British transfer record of £115m when Chelsea signed Moises Caicedo from Brighton & Hove Albion in the summer of 2023.

It would also smash Liverpool’s own record, having previously forked out £75m when signing Virgil van Dijk from Southampton in January 2018 and committed to pay £85m including add-ons when bringing in Darwin Nunez from Benfica in the summer of 2022.

All parties remain confident that a deal will be struck as negotiations continue over the weekend, and personal terms will not be an issue once a fee is agreed, with Florian Wirtz waiting the green light to fly to Merseyside for a medical once his international commitments have concluded.

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Bayern Munich had initially been the favourites for Wirtz's signature, only to be left disappointed once Liverpool stepped up their interest.

Man City had also previously ended their interest in the German.

Liverpool have been in talks with Leverkusen for Wirtz for two weeks, having already signed Jeremie Frimpong from the Bundesliga club after activating his £29.5m release clause.

Once a deal for Wirtz is agreed, the Reds are set to ramp up their efforts to sign Milos Kerkez from AFC Bournemouth.
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