Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version or go back to LFC Live.net

Liverpool’s move for the German is almost over after a drawn-out transfer saga that has required a lot of back and forth.

The Reds mean business this summer and are keen to offer a statement of intent to the rest of the division, with the Florian Wirtz transfer doing just that.

The German’s high-profile transfer saga has been rather slow recently given how quickly it accelerated at the beginning, although big deals take time as they need to be done correctly.

This may frustrate supporters, but with Liverpool set to demolish the British transfer record to sign Wirtz, it may be a bit more understandable why Richard Hughes isn’t rushing into things.

However, with Liverpool set to spend around £118m to acquire his services, fans might be left worried by the 22-year-old’s most recent performance that has come under significant scrutiny.

Photo by ANP via Getty Images

With many international teams taking part in World Cup qualifiers this week, Germany have not; instead, they were one of four teams in the Nations League Finals.

Defeat to Portugal in the semi-finals meant they faced France in a third-place play-off, losing 2-0 in a game where Wirtz received some heavy criticism.

READ MORE: Every signing which broke Liverpool’s transfer record since 2000 as Florian Wirtz prepares to join exclusive list

MORE LIVERPOOL STORIES

Liverpool’s top target was given just a 4/10 rating by German outlet BILD in their player ratings, describing his performance as “Not the magician or the leader he’s often been in Leverkusen recently.”

Missing a big chance after 36 minutes did not help his cause after he saw his effort cannon back off the post, as well as being unsuccessful in all five of his dribble attempts.

However, his final rating still feels a little harsh, especially as Wirtz made four key passes, more than anyone else on the pitch.

His desire to try and create certainly backfired in a lacklustre Germany side, but at least it shows that his confidence is there, something that can be hard to find given the amount of pressure now on his shoulders.

Despite differences in the structure of the deal, all the murmurings are that Wirtz will be a Liverpool player very soon.

The deal would break Liverpool’s transfer record by a significant amount, with their most expensive player to date being Darwin Nunez, who is set to leave this summer.

As reported by Lewis Steele, £118m is the fee Bayer Leverkusen are holding out for and the German club are being rather pernickety over the finer add-ons in the deal, although both clubs are confident in completing the transfer.

It is certainly a lot of money and quality players have struggled in the past with the pressure of the hefty price tag, although despite a sub-par performance, Liverpool must be pretty confident that Wirtz will deliver for them consistently.