Florian Wirtz to Liverpool: Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz, Dominik Szoboszlai, Darwin Nunez

"His name is going to go stratospheric in the next season or two."

Going by the words of German football expert Raphael Honigstein, Liverpool's club-record £116m capture of Florian Wirtz could prove one of the deals of the summer.

The 22-year-old German attacking midfielder has agreed a deal to sign for the Premier League champions in a package that could eventually be worth a British record £116m.

"He will bring a lot of class and poise," Honigstein added on BBC Radio 5 Live. "He is more or less the fully-formed article.

"He has played for Leverkusen and Germany so knows the demands that are on him, but still, he will have to adjust to the pace of the Premier League and the more physical way.

"Opponents will try to negate his influence and that might prove a challenge, but he is young enough and good enough. He is not easily intimidated and stands up strong to the challenge. You are buying a super star."

Wirtz made his top-flight debut aged 17 for Bayer Leverkusen in May 2020 and just 19 days later he became the then-youngest goalscorer in Bundesliga history against the might of Bayern Munich - a club who were also in contention for his signature this summer.

Since making his debut for Leverkusen, Wirtz has provided 44 assists in the Bundesliga, ranking him third of all players - but everyone else in the top five is at least 29 years old, indicating his high ceiling for development.

He will become the second player Liverpool have bought from Bayer Leverkusen this summer, with right full-back Jeremie Frimpong having arrived in a £34m deal.

The Reds will now turn their attentions to securing a deal for Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez, with talks taking place about a deal of between £45m-£50m.

"They key factor was, unlike other clubs, Liverpool presented a really thought-out vision," said Honigstein. "A very clear vision of how and where he will play.

"At Bayern, it was very difficult to fit him in alongside Jamal Musiala, at Man City they haven't had that central player. I don't think any club came near when representing the ultimate package and vision."

But with a multitude of attacking options already at their disposal, where exactly will Wirtz play for Arne Slot's Reds?

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