Slot sees only transfer fear extinguished as Reds schedule medical

Liverpool hope to have the Florian Wirtz transfer fully signed off and completed by Friday of this week, after the only lingering doubt around the player was emphatically dismissed and with a trusted journalist providing details on the exact wages the German will earn at Anfield.

The summer window’s biggest and most high-profile transfer saga so far is finally coming to an end after it emerged last week that Liverpool saw a fourth and final offer for the 22-year-old playmaker accepted by Bayer Leverkusen that will net the Bundesliga side a club-record fee. While there appear to be various reports of what the deal will ultimately be worth, it is our understanding that the transfer will ultimately be worth €140m (£119.2m, $162m) once all the add-ons and bonuses are factored in.

However, despite reaching an agreement for the Wirtz transfer last Tuesday evening, supporters do still face something of a wait before their new record arrival can complete the formalities of the move and be paraded around Anfield in his Liverpool shirt.

And with the player not due to return from holiday until Wednesday, it is understood that he will fly into the north-west on Thursday to undergo medical checks with the Liverpool doctors before likely wrapping up the move either later that day or by Friday.

In the meantime, and as you would always expect with transfers of this magnitude, questions have been raised over the amount of cash the Premier League champions are willing to spend on the superstar.

To that end, some fans have suggested the signing will ‘signal the end of football’.

Questions have also been raised over the player’s toughness to compete in the fierce and physical nature of the Premier League, with some critics arguing the 5ft 10in star could be targeted for some roughhouse treatment next season.

However, former Reds star Dietmar Hamann, who has watched Wirtz’s development with interest, is adamant the player is strong enough for the battles ahead.

“If he comes to a team, which is even better than Leverkusen, I think it could be a perfect match. I don’t think it will take too long – if he does come here, which I think he will – before the punters love him here,” Hamann told the Aldo Meets Podcast.

“The thing, why I think he will be a success, is that he can look after himself. He’s like a street kid, so he won’t shirk a challenge.

“He will be looked after by his teammates, I’m pretty sure, because he will be one of the main players next season, but if he needs to, he can look after himself. He won’t be worried; he won’t be afraid of any physical presence shown against him.”

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Florian Wirtz: Sky Sports man reveals huge Liverpool wages

With the medical now seen as the final hurdle standing between Liverpool and the biggest signing in their 133-year history, more details have emerged on the lucrative contract the 31-times capped Germany star has agreed to move to Anfield.

To that end, while it had previously been revealed that Wirtz had struck terms on a contract to 2030 on Merseyside, Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol has revealed the 22-year-old will earn £10.2m per year in wages, which could rise to as much as £12.7m “if individual and team-performance targets are met” – as as high as €14.9m or $17.2m a year.

That equates to between £195,000 and £245,000 per week, marking a significant pay rise from the current £72,368 a week he is earning at Bayer Leverkusen.

That new deal is likely to place him third on Liverpool’s best-paid players list.

However, Wirtz has revealed previously that money is not his biggest motivation in football, amid claims over the weekend that the playmaker left Bayern Munich flabbergasted by turning down bigger wages on offer there.

“When I moved from Cologne to Leverkusen [in 2020], I did not think for a single second about my salary, but only about what is best for my career,” Wirtz said last month when questioned about his future.

“I also don’t even care how much money I have in my account or what I could earn in the future.

“Of course, you should make sure that you get a good contract. But the sporting perspective is much more decisive for me than the money.”

Liverpool transfer latest: Slot to splurge huge fee on Sporting star; double exit on

Meanwhile, the Reds are reportedly ready to follow the planned signing of Wirtz by activating moves for three more players this summer – and reports in Portugal claim the Reds are now prepared to bring in a top Sporting CP star seen as an ideal successor for a 22-year-old Arne Slot does not fully trust.

Elsewhere, the Reds are growing hopeful that the sales of two of their unwanted attackers can soon be signed off, with a double exit poised to add a huge £90m to the Anfield transfer coffers and with Fabrizio Romano making clear one of those players’ preferences this summer.

And finally, a new report claims Andy Robertson has made it clear he wants to join Atletico Madrid this summer, with the Romano revealing the LaLiga giants are banking on Liverpool doing them and the player a huge favour to seal the transfer.

Liverpool’s best-paid players: Florian Wirtz jumps into top five

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