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Liverpool head coach Arne Slot and Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz.(Image: Jurgen Fromme - firo sportphoto/Getty Images)

Liverpool have agreed a club-record deal with Bayer Leverkusen to sign Florian Wirtz.

That itself is enough to see the German usurp Virgil van Dijk and Darwin Nunez as Liverpool’s record signing.

If all £16m of the subsequent add-ons are activated during the 22-year-old’s time at Anfield, Wirtz will also end up costing a British record transfer fee - breaking the £115m Chelsea committed to spend on Moises Caicedo in the summer of 2023.



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The arrival of Wirtz takes Liverpool’s spending so far this summer up to a potential £176m - including add-ons.

The Reds have already brought in Jeremie Frimpong and Armin Pecsi in £29.5m and £1.5m deals from Bayer Leverkusen and Puskas Akademia respectively.

Meanwhile, Giorgi Mamardashvili will officially become a Liverpool player this summer after a deal was agreed with Valencia last August.

The Reds will pay an initial £25m fee for the Georgia international, rising to a potential £29m with add-ons.

Consequently, if we include all of the aforementioned add-ons, this summer is already the costliest window in Liverpool’s history.

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The Reds’ biggest previous outlay came in the summer of 2018 when they brought in Fabinho (£43.7m), Naby Keita (£52.75m), Alisson Becker (£65m) and Xherdan Shaqiri (£13.5m) in what would prove to be an £174.95m spending spree.

Discounting add-ons, Liverpool paid an initial £161.55m that summer courtesy of £39.3m and £56m upfront fees for Fabinho and for Alisson.

Fast forward seven years and the Reds’ upfront spending on Wirtz, Frimpong, Mamardashvili and Pecsi falls short of such a figure at roughly £156m.

But this is just the beginning as Liverpool look to improve Arne Slot’s title-winning squad, with their spending expected to exceed £200m for the first time in the club’s history as they navigate a record-breaking summer.

After completing a deal for Wirtz, the Reds will look to finalise the signing of Milos Kerkez from AFC Bournemouth.

Liverpool remain confident of striking a deal for the Hungary international and are in direct contact with the Cherries, but are yet to make a formal offer.

Bournemouth rate Kerkez at £45m, with any deal agreed for the 21-year-old ensuring the Reds break the £200m barrier and definitively break their overall spending record for a single window.

Yet Liverpool are not expected to conclude their business with the would-be purchase of Kerkez.

Should any of the trio depart - though the latter has hinted he will stay put next season - the Reds will need to sign a replacement.

With the Reds moving to sign Kerkez, Kostas Tsimikas is expected to move on though Andy Robertson has admitted his own future is also uncertain as he enters the final year of his contract.

And in midfield, while Wataru Endo has insisted he intends to stay put at Anfield despite a season on the fringes, it would be no surprise if Harvey Elliott moved on after finding himself in a similar position.

The midfielder, who is currently away with England Under-21s, has suggested a number of times he is considering his options, recently admitting he doesn’t want to ‘waste years of his career’, with the signing of Wirtz knocking him further down the pecking order.

Elsewhere, Vitezslav Jaros is expected to leave on loan, while the likes of Ben Doak, Tyler Morton and Nat Phillips are all attracting interest.

Liverpool have already been reactionary in the transfer market with the signing of Frimpong coming in response to Alexander-Arnold’s departure.

Meanwhile, the arrivals of Mamardashvili and Pecsi freed up Kelleher to depart and Jaros to be available for a loan exit.

And the would-be arrivals of Wirtz and Kerkez will likely have a knock-on effect that will affect the likes of Elliott and Tsimikas.

It will be a similar story upfront if Nunez indeed moves on and the Reds pursue a new striker or if there is a centre-back departure.

If - or when - Liverpool do find themselves in the market for a new striker or centre-back later this summer, such a player is unlikely to come cheap.

Considering Liverpool’s previous largest spending spree back in 2018 ended with the club winning the Champions League at the end of that season, the Reds will perhaps quietly be hoping for a similar outcome this time around.

At the very least, with that window helping turn Liverpool into genuine Premier League and Champions League contenders and set them up to enjoy their peak years under Jurgen Klopp, the Reds will be wanting history to now repeat itself.

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With Wirtz the latest marquee arrival and biggest sign of intent, Liverpool are splashing the cash with their biggest ever spending spree as they look to build on Slot’s historic Premier League success.


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