Florian Wirtz Joins Liverpool For A Club Record Fee From Leverkusen
The biggest deal in Bundesliga history is completed. On Friday, Liverpool announced that the club had signed German star Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen. Wirtz has signed a contract until 2030.
'I feel very happy and very proud,' Wirtz said in a Liverpool club statement. '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.'
It is a record deal for Leverkusen. According to the transfer experts at Transfermarkt , Leverkusen will receive an initial €125 million ($144 million), with a further €15 million ($17.3 million) in very achievable add-ons, plus another possible €10 million ($11.5 million) in more difficult-to-reach add-ons.
Where does that deal rank among Premier League players? Wirtz has become the most expensive German player, the most expensive player in Premier League history , and the sixth most expensive player in the history of the game . If all add-ons are met, it could rise to the third most expensive transfer ever.
'We are very proud of the path he has taken at Bayer 04," said Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro in a club statement. "Now we have to let him go. We will miss Florian, but part of him will always be connected to Bayer 04. His sporting ability and his irrepressible commitment are an example and inspiration to us to show our full ambition to establish Bayer 04 at the top of German football and always strive to achieve the maximum success."
Florian Wirtz helped guide Leverkusen to the Bundesliga title in 2024. (Photo by Stuart ...) Getty Images
For Leverkusen, the Wirtz departure marks another moment in what will be a massive rebuild for the club this summer. Leverkusen, after all, not only lost Wirtz but also sold Jérémie Frimpong to Liverpool, as well as losing head coach Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid.
With that in mind, new head coach Erik ten Hag now faces the tricky task of building a new squad that can chase Rekordmeister Bayern Munich. The fees earned this summer will help. After all, Leverkusen also received €40 million ($46 million) for Frimpong, as well as a significant fee for Alonso.
Using that money well is now a task for the director of sport, Simon Rolfes. As for Liverpool, the Reds were able to add one of the most talented players ever produced in German football. Indeed, Wirtz is an impact player who has guided Leverkusen to an undefeated domestic double in 2023/24.
At Liverpool, Wirtz now wants to continue to collect titles. 'I would like to win everything every year,' Wirtz said '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.'
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Advertisement The 32-year-old had been linked with Manchester United, but The Athletic reported in this week's Transfer DealSheet that a move to Old Trafford has now been effectively ruled out. Villa would only agree to a permanent deal rather than a loan, which United will not entertain due to the cost. There was interest from clubs in the Saudi Pro League earlier this year, though there are doubts over whether the idea of going there would be attractive for the player. It could finally be time for Sesko's arrival in the Premier League. The 22-year-old RB Leipzig striker's new contract was signed last year with the understanding that if an elite club — by Sesko's definition — offered a fee in the region of €80million to €90m (£69.2m-£77.9m/$92.4m-$104m), he would be allowed to leave. Those elite teams could include Manchester United and Newcastle. 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