CNN
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Premier League champion Liverpool has announced the arrival of German midfielder Florian Wirtz – a statement signing in this summer transfer window.
Wirtz joins Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen in a deal worth up to £116.5 million (around $156 million), according to multiple UK media reports, and will only strengthen Arne Slot’s title-winning side heading into next season.
It makes Wirtz the most expensive player in British soccer, his reported price tag potentially exceeding the £115 million ($146 million) that Chelsea paid for Ecuadorian midfielder Moisés Caicedo.
“I’m really excited to have a new adventure in front of me,” Wirtz told Liverpoolfc.com.
“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.”
At the age of 22, Wirtz has already made a hugely impressive start to his career with club and country. After joining the Bayer Leverkusen youth setup, he was soon elevated to the first team aged 17 years and 15 days, becoming the club’s then-youngest player to feature in the Bundesliga.
More records would follow, with Wirtz becoming the league’s youngest goalscorer when he netted in a defeat against Bayern Munich in 2020, a record that has since been passed by Borussia Dortmund’s Youssoufa Moukoko.
A torn ACL three years ago halted the playmaker’s progress and put him out of action for 10 months, but Wirtz bided his time on the sidelines and went on to play a starring role in Leverkusen’s astonishing 2023-24 season, winning the German Cup and a first-ever league title.
Only a defeat against Atalanta in the Europa League final denied Leverkusen a famous treble, putting an end to a 51-game unbeaten run.
Wirtz had 18 goals and 20 assists in all competitions that season, then went on to notch 16 goals – six of which came in the Champions League – and 15 assists in 45 games last year. In that time, the midfielder established himself as one of the most sought-after players in Europe.
Understandably, Wirtz has been heaped with praise. Barcelona and former German national team manager Hansi Flick called him “the full package,” while former Leverkusen striker Patrick Helmes went as far as to label him “probably the best midfielder in the world.”
Already an established member of the German national team, Wirtz missed out on playing at the 2022 World Cup because of his ACL injury, but did take part in all five of his country’s games at last year’s European Championships.
Together with Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala, he looks destined to be at the heart of Germany’s attack for years to come.
“Florian is a more direct player (than Musiala), a strategic playmaker,” said former Germany coach Joachim Löw. “He constantly has his head up, always looking for his teammates, and has the vision to play that decisive final pass.”
At Liverpool, Wirtz will be part of a talented midfield featuring Alexis Mac Allister – a World Cup winner with Argentina – Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch, as well as linking up with former Leverkusen teammate Jeremie Frimpong, who the Reds also signed last month.
On top of prolific goalscorer Mohamed Salah signing a new contract with the club at the end of last season, Wirtz’s arrival gives Slot an array of attacking options next season.