Liverpool make huge new Wirtz offer in bid to strike British record transfer
Liverpool have submitted a new offer to Bayer Leverkusen for Florian Wirtz - but are still below the German club's valuation of the player.
The bid totals £113million with £100m initially and a further £13m in add ons. It would be a British transfer record, eclipsing the £107m that Chelsea splashed out on Enzo Fernandes back in 2023.
But Bayer Leverkusen believe the German star is worth £126m (€150m). Talks are continuing between the clubs and will go on through the weekend.
Liverpool do not want to pay the full asking price the Bundesliga side are looking for and are hoping to strike a compromise.
Wirtz, 22, has made it clear to his club that he only wants to move to Anfield after Manchester City opted out of the race for his signature when it became clear his preference was Merseyside.
Sporting director Richard Hughes is leading negotiations and is hopeful a deal can be reached in the coming days.
Boss Arne Slot sees Wirtz as a player who can push Liverpool forward as they bid to defend the Premier League title and go for glory in the Champions League. He's seen as a talent who can make an instant impact but with the potential to become even better over the coming years.
Personal terms won't be an issue once a fee is agreed and the player is waiting for the green light to head to Liverpool for a medical next week after Germany face France in the Nations League third-place play-off on Sunday.
Rudi Voller, the former Leverkusen sporting director, speculated that progress on a deal was being made earlier this week.
'It's no secret that he'd like to go to Liverpool,' Voller told DAZN. 'I know the clubs are negotiating with each other. [But with] transfers like this [it's] often the case that it takes a while until an agreement is finally reached. Of course, in the end, you have the feeling it will go through.
'Florian Wirtz has proven that he is a very, very valuable player. Not only for Bayer Leverkusen but also for the national team. That's why he costs a few euros more.'
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