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RNZ News
5 hours ago
- Sport
- RNZ News
Football: Liverpool shatter club transfer record to sign Germany's Wirtz
Florian Wirtz Photo: AFP Liverpool have smashed their club transfer record to sign Germany attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen. Leverkusen will receive a guaranteed amount of £100 million (NZ$225 million) and a further maximum of 16 million pounds in potential bonuses. That makes the 22-year-old Liverpool's most-expensive signing ever, ahead of Netherlands centre back and captain Virgil van Dijk who joined for £75m in 2017. Wirtz, who signed a five-year contract, also becomes the fifth £100m-plus signing in Premier League history, joining Chelsea midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, Arsenal's Declan Rice and Manchester City winger Jack Grealish. "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," Wirtz said in a statement. "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." With two years left on his Leverkusen contract, Wirtz was also heavily linked with a move to German champions Bayern Munich and Pep Guardiola's City, who were looking to replace Kevin De Bruyne after the Belgian playmaker's exit. Wirtz was instrumental at Leverkusen, leading them to an undefeated domestic league and Cup double in the 2023-24 season while they went two league seasons without an away defeat. The German bagged 57 goals and provided 65 assists in 197 appearances for Leverkusen, having joined the club from Cologne in 2020. He scored 16 goals, with 15 assists, in 45 matches last season as Leverkusen finished second to Bayern. Capped 31 times by his country since his debut in 2021, Wirtz is the only player to register 10 or more goals and assists in the last two Bundesliga seasons. While his arrival will add to Liverpool manager Arne Slot's midfield options, alongside Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones, Wirtz's versatility means he can also play on the left wing or as a false nine. His signing is a statement of intent from Liverpool as they look to build on their success under Slot, the first Dutch manager to win the Premier League and the sixth coach to win the title in their first season. "I would like to win everything every year! First of all, we have to do our work, I have to make my work," Wirtz added. "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." He becomes Liverpool's second addition of the transfer window after they signed Dutch right back Jeremie Frimpong, also from Leverkusen. Bournemouth left back Milos Kerkez, 21, has also been linked with the Merseyside club. - Reuters
CNA
7 hours ago
- Business
- CNA
Liverpool shatter club transfer record to sign Germany midfielder Wirtz
Liverpool have signed Germany's Florian Wirtz from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, the Premier League champions said on Friday, as they smashed their transfer record to seal a deal for the attacking midfielder. Leverkusen will receive a guaranteed amount of 100 million pounds ($134.64 million) and a further maximum of 16 million pounds in potential bonuses. That makes the 22-year-old Liverpool's most-expensive signing ever, ahead of Netherlands centre back and captain Virgil van Dijk who joined for 75 million pounds in 2017. Wirtz, who signed a five-year contract, also becomes the fifth 100 million pound plus signing in Premier League history, joining Chelsea midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, Arsenal's Declan Rice and Manchester City winger Jack Grealish. "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," Wirtz said in a statement. "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." With two years left on his Leverkusen contract, Wirtz was also heavily linked with a move to German champions Bayern Munich and Pep Guardiola's City, who were looking to replace Kevin De Bruyne after the Belgian playmaker's exit. Wirtz was instrumental at Leverkusen, leading them to an undefeated domestic league and Cup double in the 2023-24 season while they went two league seasons without an away defeat. The German bagged 57 goals and provided 65 assists in 197 appearances for Leverkusen, having joined the club from Cologne in 2020. He scored 16 goals, with 15 assists, in 45 matches last season as Leverkusen finished second to Bayern. Capped 31 times by his country since his debut in 2021, Wirtz is the only player to register 10 or more goals and assists in the last two Bundesliga seasons. MIDFIELD OPTIONS While his arrival will add to Liverpool manager Arne Slot's midfield options, alongside Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones, Wirtz's versatility means he can also play on the left wing or as a false nine. His signing is a statement of intent from Liverpool as they look to build on their success under Slot, the first Dutch manager to win the Premier League and the sixth coach to win the title in their first season. "I would like to win everything every year! First of all, we have to do our work, I have to make my work," Wirtz added. "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." He becomes Liverpool's second addition of the transfer window after they signed Dutch right back Jeremie Frimpong, also from Leverkusen. Bournemouth left back Milos Kerkez, 21, has also been linked with the Merseyside club.
Reuters
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Liverpool shatter club transfer record to sign Germany midfielder Wirtz
June 20 (Reuters) - Liverpool have signed Germany's Florian Wirtz from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, the Premier League champions said on Friday, as they smashed their transfer record to seal a deal for the attacking midfielder. Leverkusen will receive a guaranteed amount of 100 million pounds ($134.64 million) and a further maximum of 16 million pounds in potential bonuses. That makes the 22-year-old Liverpool's most-expensive signing ever, ahead of Netherlands centre back and captain Virgil van Dijk who joined for 75 million pounds in 2017. Wirtz, who signed a five-year contract, also becomes the fifth 100 million pound plus signing in Premier League history, joining Chelsea midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, Arsenal's Declan Rice and Manchester City winger Jack Grealish. "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," Wirtz said in a statement. "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." With two years left on his Leverkusen contract, Wirtz was also heavily linked with a move to German champions Bayern Munich and Pep Guardiola's City, who were looking to replace Kevin De Bruyne after the Belgian playmaker's exit. Wirtz was instrumental at Leverkusen, leading them to an undefeated domestic league and Cup double in the 2023-24 season while they went two league seasons without an away defeat. The German bagged 57 goals and provided 65 assists in 197 appearances for Leverkusen, having joined the club from Cologne in 2020. He scored 16 goals, with 15 assists, in 45 matches last season as Leverkusen finished second to Bayern. Capped 31 times by his country since his debut in 2021, Wirtz is the only player to register 10 or more goals and assists in the last two Bundesliga seasons. While his arrival will add to Liverpool manager Arne Slot's midfield options, alongside Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones, Wirtz's versatility means he can also play on the left wing or as a false nine. His signing is a statement of intent from Liverpool as they look to build on their success under Slot, the first Dutch manager to win the Premier League and the sixth coach to win the title in their first season. "I would like to win everything every year! First of all, we have to do our work, I have to make my work," Wirtz added. "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." He becomes Liverpool's second addition of the transfer window after they signed Dutch right back Jeremie Frimpong, also from Leverkusen. Bournemouth left back Milos Kerkez, 21, has also been linked with the Merseyside club. ($1 = 0.7427 pounds)
The Sun
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Liverpool SMASH British transfer record as champions confirm Florian Wirtz deal from Leverkusen for £116.5million
LIVERPOOL have completed the Premier League record signing of Florian Wirtz. The Reds have forked out a whopping £116.5MILLION to recruit the attacking midfielder from Bayer Leverkusen. 6 6 6 That fee has shattered the £115million Chelsea paid Brighton for Moises Caicedo in August 2023. Liverpool have fended off stiff competition from Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Real Madrid to land Wirtz, 22. The Germany international is set to become one of the Premier League's highest earners during his Anfield stay. He's reportedly been handed a contract worth a whopping £245,000 a week. That works out to an eye-watering £12.7m a year, nearly TWELVE TIMES what he earned on his last contract with Leverkusen. The midfielder is guaranteed to take home £10.2m of that figure each year, with the remainder being made up of individual and team performance bonuses. Wirtz's mammoth contract has made him Liverpool's THIRD HIGHEST-PAID player. Only Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, who both penned new £400,000-a-week deals with the Prem champions last season, earn more than him. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 6 Florian Wirtz's TikTok star Wag is called 'the prettiest woman I've ever seen' ahead of his £116m move to Liverpool Wirtz will be joined in England by his partner Aaliyah who is a huge TikTok star with over 100,000 followers on the video platform. She was first pictured with Wirtz last year and was also present as Leverkusen wrapped up the 2023/24 Bundesliga title. Aaliyah pictured cheering on the German at the Euros last summer. And Wirtz will have a familiar face to help him get adjusted to life at Anfield. 6 6 The Reds signed his fellow former Leverkusen star Jeremie Frimpong late last month. Kopites will be hoping the pair make their competitive debuts in the Reds' Premier League opener against Bournemouth on August 15.
BBC News
7 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Liverpool sign Leverkusen's Wirtz in £116m deal
Liverpool have signed Germany playmaker Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for a club record £ 22-year-old has signed a long-term deal with the Reds, understood to be five years which will keep him at Anfield until at least 2030, after completing a medical at the club's training ground on deal, which includes a guaranteed £100m and a further £16m in add-ons, tops Liverpool's previous club record signing of Virgil van Dijk for £75m in 2018. Should those add-ons be achieved, Wirtz's move to Anfield would become a British transfer record to beat the £107m Chelsea paid Benfica for Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez in 2023. Wirtz, who has scored 57 goals in 197 Leverkusen appearances, is Liverpool's second major signing of the summer and the club's second from the Bundesliga runners-up following the arrival of Dutch right-back Jeremie Frimpong for £29.5m last month. More to follow.
