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Florian Wirtz looks on during the Bundesliga match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund at BayArena on May 10, 2025(Image: Jörg Schüler/Bayer 04 Leverkusen via Getty Images)

Liverpool remain determined to reach an agreement over Florian Wirtz after seeing a club-record offer of £109m turned down by Bayer Leverkusen.

The Reds tabled the bid on Friday ahead of the transfer window officially opening on Sunday but Leverkusen have rejected the terms, with the Bundesliga side said to be holding out for around £125m for the German player of the year.

Both clubs had been hoping for a swift resolution to the deal but an agreement has yet to be found as negotiations continue between sporting director Richard Hughes and his Leverkusen counterpart Simon Rolfes and managing director Fernando Carro.

The Reds are keen to avoid turning the pursuit into a drawn-out saga as they look to secure their transfer targets quickly ahead of the pre-season schedule, having confirmed the £29.5m triggering of Jeremie Frimpong's release clause on Friday on the same day Trent Alexander-Arnold moved to Real Madrid in a £10m deal.

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It's unclear how Liverpool's bid has been structured but the fee for Wirtz will be made up on achievable and performance-based add-ons and an agreement on Leverkusen's terms will see Liverpool break the British transfer record, which currently stands at the £115m Chelsea committed for Moises Caicedo at Brighton in the summer of 2023.

Wirtz's arrival, should a deal be struck, will see him become the most expensive player of all time on Merseyside, eclipsing the £85m committed for Darwin Nunez from Benfica in 2022, which was made up of £21m worth of add-ons and the £75m transfer of Virgil van Dijk from Southampton in January 2018.

Both clubs remain relaxed about the situation and there is no feeling that a collapse is imminent, with the Reds locked in to trash out what would represent a statement signing for the defence of the Premier League title next season.

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Reports in Germany had claimed Harvey Elliott and Jarell Quansah could be used as potential makeweights but the talks between the clubs presently remain about reaching a transfer fee for Wirtz only.

Leverkusen had been hopeful of keeping their talisman at the BayArena for next season after losing head coach Xabi Alonso alongside Jonathan Tah and Frimpong, but having been informed of Wirtz and his family's career decision, talks are now ongoing around finding the figure that will make the 22-year-old a club-record capture for the Reds.

Liverpool refused to pay the £50m demanded by Southampton for Romeo Lavia two years ago before Chelsea were able to pull off a deal for the Belgium international but while Wirtz had also been wanted by Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, there is no sense of a similar situation developing over the attacking midfielder, with the player and his entourage having given their word last month.

Anfield officials initially believed Wirtz would remain in Germany with either Leverkusen or Bayern but after impressing with their pitch to the player and his parents, who act as his representatives, Manchester City were forced to concede defeat before the midfielder's father, Hans, informed officials in Munich that the Premier League champions had won the race.

Speaking at his unveiling as Alonso's successor last week, former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag said: "We have to build a new squad and a new team.

I’ll work with the players who are available on 1 September.”

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After an end-of-season holiday in Corsica, Wirtz is currently with the Germany national side ahead of their UEFA Nations League semi-final with Portugal on Wednesday.


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