Liverpool FC have reached an agreement for the transfer of Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen.
The 22-year-old playmaker has put pen to paper on a long-term contract with the Reds after agreeing personal terms and successfully passing a medical.
Wirtz becomes the latest addition to Arne Slot’s squad so far this summer, reuniting with former Leverkusen teammate Jeremie Frimpong.
Shortly after signing his deal with the club, Wirtz told Liverpoolfc.com: “I feel very happy and very proud. Finally it’s done and I was waiting for a long time – finally it’s done and I am really happy.
“I’m really excited to have a new adventure in front of me. 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.”
Regarded as one of the standout talents in world football, Wirtz arrives on Merseyside after five-and-a-half hugely successful seasons with Leverkusen following a switch from Cologne’s youth team.
After a Bundesliga debut in May 2020 at the age of just 17 years and 15 days, the German grabbed his first senior goal a few weeks later by netting against Bayern Munich.
He would establish himself as a key figure in Die Werkself’s starting line-up in 2020-21 and as one of the Bundesliga’s most exciting talents.
A debut for the Germany national team came in September 2021; however, a serious injury sustained the following March ruled him out for several months.
Nevertheless, Wirtz returned to produce a stellar season as Leverkusen completed a league and cup double in 2023-24, as well as reaching the Europa League final, remaining unbeaten throughout the entire Bundesliga campaign.
Though Xabi Alonso’s side were unable to repeat that success last term, Wirtz continued to show his abundant quality, including on the Champions League stage with six goals in nine appearances in the tournament.
To date, he has 31 caps and seven goals for Germany, including two in five runouts at Euro 2024 last summer.
Wirtz now becomes the latest addition to Slot’s title-winning squad and will link up with his new teammates in July when pre-season training begins.
Asked about his targets with the club, he added: “I would like to win everything every year! First of all, we have to do our work, I have to make my work.
“In the end, we want to be successful. Last season they won the Premier League so my goal is for sure to win it again and also to go further in the Champions League. I’m really ambitious.”
Wirtz’s official squad number for Liverpool will be confirmed later this summer.
