Florian Wirtz to Liverpool: Germany star to become fifth member of £100m club with record-breaking deal

Liverpool are poised to complete the signing of Germany forward Florian Wirtz after the Premier League champions reportedly reached an agreement with Bayer Leverkusen on deal worth £116million including add-ons.

The move will see Liverpool break the British transfer record to acquire Wirtz, who had previously been linked with Manchester City and Bayern Munich.

Wirtz has topped 30 goal involvements in each of the last two seasons. He racked up 37 in 2023-24 as Leverkusen won the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double and reached the Europa League final, where defeat to Atalanta marked their sole loss of the season.

Though Leverkusen did not win a major trophy in 2024-25, Wirtz was involved in 30 goals in another stellar season. Still, the size of the fee means there is considerable pressure on his shoulders to deliver at Anfield.

But he is far from the first player to join a Premier League club for a fee of at least £100m.

Indeed, four others have done so, though they have enjoyed varying levels of success.

Jack Grealish: Aston Villa to Manchester City – £100m (2021)

Leaving his boyhood club was difficult for Grealish, but the move to City paid off as it has yielded seven trophies for the attacking midfielder.

Grealish has won three Premier League titles with City, while also tasting glory in the Champions League, FA Cup, Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup.

He was instrumental in the treble-winning season of 2022-23, registering 16 goal involvements.

However, more recently he has fallen out of favour with Pep Guardiola and looks destined to leave the Etihad Stadium, with a loan move seemingly a possibility.

Enzo Fernandez: Benfica to Chelsea – £106.8m (2023)

Fernandez is the man whom Wirtz will displace as the record holder when his transfer goes through.

Chelsea signed him in February 2023 following Fernandez’s crucial role in Argentina’s 2022 World Cup success.

He had struggled to justify that outlay across his first season and a half, but Fernandez’s fortunes improved in his second full campaign.

The 24-year-old registered 22 goal involvements in 2024-25 as Chelsea qualified for the Champions League and won the Conference League.

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Declan Rice: West Ham to Arsenal – £105m (2023)

Having claimed Conference League glory in his final season with the Hammers, Rice has yet to win a trophy with Arsenal.

However, that is not for lack of trying on his part.

Rice has established himself as one of the best midfielders in the world in his time at Emirates Stadium.

In two seasons, he has 35 goal involvements in all competitions, his most memorable being the two free-kicks he scored against Real Madrid in this season’s Champions League quarter-finals.

His move to north London has been an undoubted success. All that is missing is the silverware.

Moises Caicedo: Brighton and Hove Albion to Chelsea – £100m (2023)

The Ecuadorian was outstanding in 2022-23 for the Seagulls but initially struggled to make an impression upon his arrival at Stamford Bridge.

That changed in 2024-25, with Caicedo crucial to the Blues’ success with his combative play in the midfield.

Idrissa Gueye (181) was the sole midfielder in the Premier League with a higher combined total of tackles won and interceptions than Caicedo (163).

Caicedo also did an excellent job of progressing play, recording 235 passes into the final third, the most of any midfielder in the division.

Still only 22, the signs are good that Chelsea’s decision to spend such a huge sum on Caicedo will be vindicated.

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