Inside Florian Wirtz’s Liverpool transfer: Why rivals missed out, Slot’s role and falling for Kirkby

It was not difficult for Florian Wirtz to picture making Liverpool’s training ground his home.

In November, the day after Liverpool humbled Bayer Leverkusen — then on a run of just two defeats in the previous 68 games across all competitions — in a Champions League game at Anfield, Wirtz stepped out onto the practice pitches at Kirkby and was blown away by what he saw.

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Xabi Alonso, the Leverkusen manager and former Liverpool midfielder, had politely requested to use the base for warm-down purposes the morning after his team’s 4-0 thrashing.

Liverpool offered their under-23 pitch, with Leverkusen’s players taking part in a light training session and debrief of the previous evening’s chastening loss. For Wirtz, the gem of German football it was a clear insight into the future.

Wirtz made no secret of being impressed by the facilities and it left Liverpool in a strong position to secure his services if they ever came to firm up their interest.

The Athletic has spoken to multiple sources, who asked to remain anonymous to protect their positions, to piece together the story of a deal which — at £100million (€117.2m; $135.5m) plus £16m of add-ons — has smashed Liverpool’s transfer record and could also become the biggest British deal of all time if those extras are realised.

Back in November, Wirtz was fresh from winning the Bundesliga and German Cup double, and still focused on Leverkusen and their adventure back in the Champions League. Most of the noise around his future centred on whether he would join rivals Bayern Munich, the club long touted as the playmaker’s most likely next destination.

Yet the speed with which Liverpool moved to convince Wirtz to join, despite strong interest from other clubs including Manchester City, made the real difference.

Liverpool first sought permission from Leverkusen to speak to Wirtz in March. Sporting director Richard Hughes led the process and outlined the ambitious plans for the future to Wirtz and members of his inner circle.

When the German international made up his mind, he did so believing that he would be joining a squad who are well equipped to challenge for the Premier League and Champions League in years to come.

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Wirtz told Leverkusen he was leaving in early May and that he was eager to try a new league; shortly after, Bayern knew that he would not be joining them as he favoured a move to Anfield. Real Madrid were also aware of his preference and therefore decided against stepping up their interest with Alonso, who succeeded Carlo Ancelotti at the Bernabeu at the end of the season, focused on strengthening other areas despite his long relationship with Wirtz, a player he greatly admired.

Xabi Alonso admired Wirtz from their time together at Leverkusen (Ina Fassbender/AFP via Getty Images)

For Liverpool, the allure of Wirtz was obvious. A supremely talented player who is not even at the peak of his career — he is still only 22 — he is also versatile. Head coach Arne Slot has discussed using Wirtz as the No 10, but he can also do a job out wide or as a striker, although these would not be his preferred positions.

Hughes’ task was to get the right deal for Liverpool and within the boundaries set by owners Fenway Sports Group, which has regularly been criticised by a section of Liverpool’s support for not flexing its muscles in transfers.

That is not entirely fair — Liverpool submitted a £110m bid for Brighton’s Moises Caicedo in the summer of 2023, only for the Ecuadorian to choose Chelsea instead, which Anfield executives often cite as proof of the club’s readiness to pay top dollar for the right player. That also applies to the fees paid previously for goalkeeper Alisson Becker (£66.8m) and centre-half Virgil van Dijk (£75m), which were world records for players in their positions at the time. But there was also an insistence from the Anfield hierarchy that FSG’s self-sustaining business model should not be shredded on a whim — the player had to be worth the money, and Wirtz was deemed exactly that.

Hughes held complex but friendly talks with Leverkusen’s managing director of sport Simon Rolfes. Those discussions were not quick, hardly unexpected given the size of the sums involved, but they were also amicable.

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As the bulk of the deal — specifically the guaranteed £100m — was agreed early, the negotiations centred primarily on agreeing the add-ons and how much extra would be paid if Wirtz helps Liverpool win the Premier League or Champions League again, and even if he wins the Ballon d’Or.

The Athletic reported on June 6 that Liverpool had submitted an improved offer of £113m for Wirtz, following a £109m offer the previous week.

Although Liverpool were hoping for a quick resolution, they were also patient. There was no need for the deal to be rushed, given most players do not report back to Kirkby until July 7 and Liverpool’s confidence that Wirtz was only interested in joining them.

One thing was clear for Hughes: Liverpool had no intention of reaching the €150m valuation Leverkusen had initially placed on Wirtz.

Richard Hughes led negotiations for Wirtz at Liverpool (Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)

By agreeing on the eventual package of £116m, Hughes and Rolfes were able to shake hands and both feel proud of the outcome.

Landing a plug-in-and-play talent like Wirtz, who will significantly strengthen the attacking department and help shape the future, is another boost for Liverpool after a successful title-winning season. For Leverkusen, they can point to the highest-ever transfer fee received by a German club should the add-ons be activated.

The size of this deal could also break the British transfer record Chelsea paid Brighton for Moises Caicedo two years ago but only if Wirtz is successful enough at Anfield to trigger all the clauses.

Liverpool would be more than happy to pay them, given that would mean their successful start to life under Slot would have continued.

Despite the record-breaking figures attached to the deal, Wirtz still fits within the club’s existing wage structure and will earn around £10.2m a year with performance-related extras potentially taking it up to £12.8m. Like other deals Liverpool have put together over the years, he will also have the potential to earn more depending on the time he stays at the club.

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Throughout his career, Wirtz and his family have always put the sporting project above simply choosing the best financial package and this attitude was clear again during negotiations with Liverpool.

Wirtz was determined for his new club to be the right footballing fit. He had this approach when joining Leverkusen in 2020: having grown weary of FC Koln’s habit of regularly changing manager and playing a passive style of football, the prospect of continuing his development under the attack-minded Peter Bosz, then Leverkusen’s manager, and at a club with good facilities and strong ambitions was appealing.

Slot, too, had a clear plan for Wirtz, who provided 34 goals and 35 assists across his last two seasons and also reflected favourably when the club’s data team assessed his history.

The Dutchman told him exactly where he would fit in and that was a bigger pull than any financial incentive, especially as the headache of how he would have fitted into the Bayern Munich line-up alongside Jamal Musiala — an issue also widely discussed at international level with Germany — had no obvious cure. Wirtz was keen to be at the centre of his new team, and that will be the case at Anfield.

When the agreement was struck, Wirtz was still on holiday after a gruelling season with Leverkusen and then the additional games for Germany in the Nations League semi-final and third-place tie.

That the deal was done early into the summer is of significant help to Liverpool’s planning around pre-season and also for Wirtz, who has more time to settle into the club before Liverpool’s season begins with the Community Shield against Crystal Palace at Wembley on the weekend of August 9-10.

Wirtz visited the north west of England weeks ago to look at possible living arrangements and was encouraged by the move of his friend, Jeremie Frimpong, who has also moved to Merseyside from Leverkusen in this window.

Jeremie Frimpong and Wirtz habve been reunited at Liverpool (Ronny Hartmann/Getty Images)

Having a friendly face who has shared multiple experiences, both on and off the pitch, alongside him should make the settling-in process a little easier.

Liverpool’s player care team will assist and the time already spent at the club’s training complex helped convince Wirtz, who has signed a five-year contract, that this would be the perfect next step in his career.

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Wirtz, one of the most coveted playmakers in Europe, is recognised as an addition who can strengthen the team further, not an easy task given the standards set last season. Slot said at the back end of last term that the toughest test this summer would be to find players who are better than those already at the club, yet Liverpool seem to have done that.

There was no guarantee they would get their man, so other options that came under consideration included Lyon’s Rayan Cherki. Slot even broke off from his summer holiday to travel to the south of France to meet Cherki at the end of May. Ultimately, however, the midfielder joined Manchester City.

Liverpool have been quiet in the last three transfer windows, instead preferring to work with the players already available rather than seek alternatives. Combine that with a money-spinning season following the return to the Champions League, the income generated by winning the Premier League (which The Athletic recently calculated was worth around £181m) and a record-breaking performance in the commercial department where revenue has soared, and it is no surprise to see Liverpool getting their house in order early this summer.

There is still room for further additions, with a £40m deal agreed to sign left-back Milos Kerkez and possible openings elsewhere if other players are moved on.

There is still debate over the possibility of signing a centre-forward, while centre-half is another position which will need strengthening if Jarell Quansah moves to Bayer Leverkusen and Ibrahima Konate decides against extending his contract which expires next summer.

Whatever happens next, though, the record-breaking deal for Wirtz will be the stand-out deal of the summer and one that could help invigorate the frontline for years to come.

Additional reporting: David Ornstein

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