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Florian Wirtz is Liverpool's most expensive ever signing(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Former Liverpool defender Markus Babbel believes Florian Wirtz is the signing of the summer, despite the enormous fee it took to prise him away from Bayer Leverkusen.

The Reds stunned the Premier League and the rest of Europe when they bagged the much-coveted German superstar.

The Premier League champions were eager to make a statement after sealing their 20th top-flight crown and so pulled out all the stops to seal a deal for the ambitious 22-year-old.

After months of speculation, and fighting off the likes of Bayern Munich and Manchester City to land his signature, Wirtz joined Liverpool last month in a deal that could be worth a British-record fee of £116 million.

Babbel, 52, is a former Germany international, who played for Liverpool from 2000-2004 and helped the Anfield side under the late Gerard Houllier win four major trophies.

Despite the eye-watering fee, the four-time Bundesliga champion believes the deal represents excellent value for his former club due to the Wirtz's clear class - claiming that even if Liverpool's bitter rivals Manchester United signed the playmaker, he would still echo the same sentiments.

"Florian Wirtz is easily the best signing of the summer transfer window so far," Babbel told Gameshub.

“That was the deal of the year in my opinion and that isn’t just because the Premier League champions signed him; if Man United had made the deal, it would be no different – he’s a fantastic player that will add so much value to the team.

Wirtz was unveiled in June(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

"No one was talking about Liverpool getting the deal done either!

But it was always clear to me from the start that he’d be heading to Liverpool to play under Arne Slot and alongside some of the best players in Europe, such as Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah."

He added: "I would be surprised if a club managed to pull off a signing as good as Wirtz to Liverpool.

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 just saw myself in the best hands in Liverpool."

Wirtz joins former Leverkusen team-mate Jeremie Frimpong, Hungarian defender Milos Kerkez and Georgian and ex-Valencia shotstopper Giorgi Mamardashvili as the Reds newest faces this summer as Slot looks to defend the Premier League title next season.

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