Premier League champions Liverpool have completed a club-record £100m signing of Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen. The fee could rise to £116m with add-ons, which would surpass the current British transfer record of £115m set by Chelsea for Moises Caicedo.
The Germany international insists the price tag does not concern him. "I just want to play football and how much money the clubs pay between each other doesn't matter," said Wirtz. He is looking forward to adapting to the Premier League, describing it as "more intense, more physical" based on feedback from teammates.
Liverpool are also targeting Newcastle’s Alexander Isak in a deal that could exceed Wirtz’s fee, but if that does not materialise the 21-year-old is content being the club’s most expensive signing this summer, with Liverpool's spending reaching £265m.
Wirtz played 74 minutes in a pre-season friendly against Athletic Bilbao on Monday, helping Liverpool to a 3-2 win. A second-string side earlier won 4-1 against the same opponents. Liverpool begin their Premier League campaign at home to Bournemouth after the Community Shield against Crystal Palace.
