Liverpool have confirmed the club-record signing of Bayer Leverkusen forward Florian Wirtz.
The 22-year-old Germany international moves for an initial fee of £100million, which could rise to £116m with performance-based add-ons.
That figure would pip the current British transfer record, set when Chelsea spent £115m to sign Brighton and Ecuador midfielder Moises Caicedo in 2022.
Wirtz has signed a five-year contract with Liverpool reportedly worth £200,000 per week.
“I feel very happy and very proud,” Wirtz told Liverpool’s official website. “Finally it’s done and I was waiting for a long time – finally it’s done and I am really happy.
“I'm really excited to have a new adventure in front of me. This was also a big point of my thoughts: that I want to have something completely new, to go out of the Bundesliga and to join the Premier League.
“I will see how I can perform there. I hope I can do my best. I spoke also with some players who played there and they told me that it’s perfect for me and every pitch is perfect, you can enjoy every game. I’m really looking forward to playing my first game.”
He added: “I would like to win everything every year! First of all, we have to do our work, I have to make my work.
“In the end, we want to be successful. Last season they won the Premier League so my goal is for sure to win it again and also to go further in the Champions League. I’m really ambitious.”
The signing is a considerable statement of intent from Liverpool and Arne Slot ahead of their Premier League title defence. Wirtz has established himself as one of Europe’s top talents in recent seasons, playing a key role in Leverkusen’s invincible domestic double in 2023-24.
He racked up 16 goals and 15 assists in 45 appearances across all competitions last season as Leverkusen finished second in the Bundesliga, 13 points shy of champions Bayern Munich.
Wirtz made his professional debut with Leverkusen in 2020 as an academy graduate, going on to make 197 appearances for the club. He also has 31 international caps to his name.
Liverpool faced considerable competition for Wirtz’s signature, fighting German champions Bayern for several months before eventually pricing them out of the move.
This transfer will not be the extent of Liverpool’s summer business, amid reports they could break the British transfer record for a second time with a £150m move for prolific Newcastle striker Alexander Isak.
They will continue to negotiate with Leverkusen, who are looking to sign defender Jarell Quansah.
Liverpool have already signed Wirtz’s Leverkusen team-mate Jeremie Frimpong, plus goalkeepers Giorgi Mamardashvili and Armin Pecsi. They have also agreed a £40m deal with Bournemouth for left-back Milos Kerkez and are reportedly plotting a “significant” offer for Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi.
