Florian Wirtz set to be announced as Liverpool player on Friday

Liverpool are expected to confirm the signing of Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen on Friday, according to Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg.

The Premier League champions have agreed a fee of €136.3million (£116m), with €117.5m (£100m) due upfront and a further €18.8m in potential add-ons, to sign Wirtz.

The 22-year-old will undergo his Liverpool medical on Friday before putting pen to paper on a five-year deal.

Plettenberg posted on X: “The announcement of the Florian #Wirtz transfer is planned for Friday.

“Everything is done and sealed – medical has been booked.

The deal will surpass the previous British transfer record of £115m that Chelsea paid Brighton for Moises Caicedo in August 2023.

It also breaks the Reds’ record transfer fee of £85m paid to Benfica for Darwin Nunez in 2022.

Wirtz turned down both Bayern Munich and Manchester City and is poised to join the Premier League champions in a club-record transfer.

Leverkusen rejected a second offer from the Reds for Germany international. Arne Slot’s side offered a fixed sum of €118m ($134m) plus €12m in bonus payments.

The Reds’ first bid for the attacking midfielder consisted of €100m plus €15m in additional payments.

Wirtz turned down both Bayern Munich and Manchester City

Wirtz has been a standout performer for Bayer Leverkusen in recent seasons, netting 16 goals and providing 15 assists last season.

Having established himself as a key figure for both club and country, he impressed notably at Euro 2024.

After five years at Leverkusen, where he played a vital role in their Bundesliga campaign during the 2023/24 season, the Germany international is eager for a new challenge.

Wirtz’s move will see him join former Leverkusen team-mate Jeremie Frimpong at Anfield, following the Netherlands international’s £29.5m move.

Borussia Dortmund chief Hans-Joachim Watzke has shared his thoughts on Florian Wirtz’s move to Liverpool this summer.

“It’s a real shame, especially for the DFL (German Football League), that a player like Florian Wirtz is disappearing from the Bundesliga,” Watzke told kicker.

“I wouldn’t have had a problem at all if he had gone to FC Bayern.

“That would have been better for the Bundesliga. He could have played better with Musiala in Munich, but two such good footballers find each other anyway.”