Florian Wirtz is likely to finalize his record-setting transfer from Bayer Leverkusen to Liverpool on Friday, according to sources speaking with ESPN.
Last week, ESPN reported that Liverpool had come to an agreement to sign the German player for a deal that could reach £116 million (€136m), after two previous offers were turned down by Leverkusen.
The Bundesliga team eventually accepted an upfront payment of £100 million, along with bonuses that could add up to £16 million. Sources informed ESPN that if those bonuses are achieved, Wirtz’s transfer fee would exceed that of Moisés Caicedo, who transferred to Chelsea from Brighton & Hove Albion in the summer of 2023.
Wirtz is now set to travel to Merseyside to undergo his medical examination, with plans to complete the transfer before the weekend.
Liverpool faced strong competition for the 22-year-old from Bayern Munich, Manchester City, and Real Madrid. Key figures at Anfield are optimistic he can have a similar game-changing effect as Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker did when they joined in 2018.
Wirtz will be Liverpool’s second signing of the summer following the addition of his former Leverkusen teammate Jeremie Frimpong, whose £29.5 million release clause was activated last month.
ESPN also reported on Sunday that Liverpool has reached an agreement for Bournemouth defender Milos Kerkez for about €45 million ($51.99 million).
