Florian Wirtz to Liverpool: ‘Box office’ deal CONFIRMED by Germany superstar

Florian Wirtz has dropped the strongest hint yet that he will sign for Liverpool in the days ahead, but the Anfield club’s hopes of a quick deal have been thwarted by the demands of Bayer Leverkusen.

The Bundesliga side have already seen Jeremie Frimpong depart for Arne Slot’s side in the summer, and while it looks highly probable that Wirtz will follow, they are doing everything in their power to make life difficult for the Premier League champions.

David Ornstein has dropped an update on the situation, detailing why the deal has been unable to get over the line yet.

“Wirtz has decided to join Liverpool,” he told The Athletic.

“Liverpool had submitted an offer worth up to €130 million, which would be a club record. Bayer Leverkusen want a higher figure and so it could well be a British record transfer fee. They’re pushing so hard in the club-to-club negotiations.

“But there’s also the desire of the player. He has eyes only on Liverpool and it looks like it will be a box office signing for them, for the Premier League and for the whole market.”

Wirtz, meanwhile, appears to have confirmed his intention to complete the deal. Asked following Germany’s Nations League loss to Portugal if he is excited to move to Liverpool, he gave a subtle nod.

Coutinho record smashed

While a deal worth €130m would set a new record in terms of a fee paid by a Premier League club for a player, breaking the €121m mark set by Chelsea when they signed Enzo Fernandez, it would not be the biggest move an English top-flight club has been involved in.

That mark is currently held by Liverpool’s sale of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona for €135m in January 2018.

Wirtz, meanwhile, has been tipped to have a similar impact at Anfield as the Brazil international star, who rather faded after his brilliant spell on Merseyside.

Bundesliga expert Ronan Murphy told FootballTransfers: “Few players over €100m have actually been worth €100m. If you look at the list of the most expensive transfers of all time, most of them have not lived up to the hype. Florian Wirtz will. He is different.

“In a world where footballers are now mathematically trained on what to do at every moment, the truly technically-brilliant individuals sparkle even more. It’s why Lamine Yamal is being hyped as a Ballon d’Or winner as a teenager. And it’s why Wirtz will be worth every penny Liverpool pay for him.

“The Reds have not had a player capable of Wirtz’s kind of magic since peak Coutinho. Someone who could bamboozle defenders and outfox goalkeepers without breaking a sweat. And on top of that, he’s a pressing machine. If anything, they might end up getting a bargain with him.”

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