Liverpool have verbally agreed a British-record deal with Bayer Leverkusen for the transfer of Florian Wirtz, according to reports. Wirtz himself had given his green light to the Reds more than a week ago, but a lengthy period of negotiation followed between the two clubs as they attempted to find common ground over a fee.

A series of bids were rejected by Leverkusen, including one which tipped the scales at £113million, before a fresh round of talks on Tuesday finally yielded a breakthrough. According to Fabrizio Romano, a total package worth £127m including add-ons, which is the figure Leverkusen demanded from the start, has been ‘verbally agreed in principle’.

The most expensive Premier League signing in history will now go through pending a medical. Moises Caicedo has been the record-holder for the past two years following his £115m switch from Brighton to Chelsea in the summer of 2023.

Now, Wirtz will be forced to shoulder the pressure that comes with a nine-figure transfer fee. Having kept their powder dry during the early part of Arne Slot’s reign, Anfield bosses have thrown caution to the wind so far this summer as they look to capitalise on their status as newly-crowned Premier League champions.

If the deal proceeds as planned, Wirtz will join fellow Leverkusen departee Jeremie Frimpong on Merseyside, with the Dutchman formalising his £29.5m switch on May 30.

Now that time-consuming negotiations with Leverkusen are out of the way, Liverpool can switch their focus back to signing Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez. The Hungarian international is set to compete with Andrew Robertson for the starting berth, providing the Reds are prepared to meet his £45m price tag.

But Wirtz will go down as Liverpool’s marquee signing of the summer. The 22-year-old has already surpassed 30 caps for Germany and he can fill a number of attacking positions.

He has been playing first-team football for Leverkusen since just after his 17th birthday, putting together a record of 57 goals in 197 games across all competitions.

Add his arrival to Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk renewing their contracts, and it seems certain that Liverpool will go into the new season in a stronger position than when they finished the last. And that’s in spite of Trent Alexander-Arnold leaving his boyhood club to join Real Madrid, which has left Slot with a huge gap to fill, and Frimpong with huge shoes to step into.