Liverpool are going to have to break the Premier League record if they’re to sign Florian Wirtz this summer.
According to reports in , Bayer Leverkusen want in excess of £126million for the versatile playmaker.
Though add-ons will be included in this figure, you have to assume that the current record of £107million, set by Enzo Fernandez from Benfica, will be shattered.
Moisés Caicedo could eventually cost the Blues £115million but the initial fee for the one-time Brighton midfielder was £100million, meaning Fernandez, right now, is the most expensive purchase in Premier League history.
The pursuit of Wirtz has come as somewhat of a surprise. The Premier League champions aren’t exactly known for their lavish spending.
They famously spent next to nothing after winning the Champions League in 2019 while their only addition last summer was Federico Chiesa for a reported £10million.
More often than not, the Reds look for smarter, value-for-money solutions to a problem.
At a glance, Wirtz doesn’t necessarily seem like a value-for-money solution.
The 22-year-old is going to cost over £100million. With bonuses, g-on fees and his salary over a five year deal, the total package to pry the Bayer Leverkusen No10 away from his homeland could well exceed £200million.
Manchester City, meanwhile, are g Rayan Cherki from Lyon for an initial £35million. With bonuses, g-on fees and his salary over a five-year deal, the total package for the French maestro will be around £90million.
It almost feels as though the roles have been reversed.
Man City are usually the team spending hundreds of millions on transfers while Liverpool are the team who go for the cheaper option. The Reds look for the safer bet.
After all, with a lower fee, the chances of failure decrease.
People often confuse the Moneyball approach with g cheaper players. However, the approach is actually tied to finding undervalued talents. And, ironically, to land these undervalued talents, they sometimes have to pay over market value.
When the Reds signed off on a £35million deal to bring Sadio Mane to the club, a lot of people classed it as an overpayment.
They said the same when Liverpool paid £39million for Diogo Jota.
The masses mocked the Merseyside club when they shattered the record for a defender, paying £75million to bring Virgil van Dijk to the North West in January 2018.
Eyebrows were raised when the six times champions of Europe agreed to pay £66million for Alisson Becker in the summer of 2018.
There are countless examples of Liverpool initially overpaying for a player. But there are even more examples of the Reds ultimately finding value in what is a very chaotic market.
Mane, Salah, Jota, Van Dijk and Alisson are all classed as bargains now. Their exploits with Liverpool coupled with their longevity with the Reds pushed them into the Moneyball category.
During Alisson’s time with the Premier League champions, Arsenal have spent close to £90million on goalkeepers, g Bernd Leno, Aaron Ramsdale and David Raya in a quest to find an undisputed, top-class starting shot-stopper.
So while the initial outlay for the Brazilian may have seemed steep, it has proven to be one of the best gs made by the club.
There’s every chance Wirtz falls into this category.
The 22-year-old, a two-time Player’s Player of the Year winner in the Bundesliga, is reportedly going to have the Liverpool team built around him. With Arne Slot looking to play to his strengths, he’s in the best environment to flourish.
He’s going to have the best opportunity to justify the price-tag, whatever that ends up being, just as Alisson and Van Dijk did for Liverpool.
Their two biggest transfer failures, Naby Keita and Darwin Nunez, suffered as a result of system changes more than anything else.
Keita was signed for a team that had goalscoring midfielders. He ed a team that instead used their midfielders to cover the marauding full-backs.
Darwin ed a team looking to move away from the false-9 approach but, after a disappointing start to the season, Cody Gakpo arrived and things changed.
You can’t imagine the same thing happening to Wirtz. Slot has a clear plan in mind for the versatile attacker.
This is why the Reds haven’t walked away from the deal, despite the fact the 2023/24 Bundesliga champions are wanting a Premier League record for their star man.
Liverpool have shown in the past that they’re prepared to go big to get in a player they believe can be a transformative g. Before Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch arrived, a £110million offer for Moises Caicedo was accepted by Brighton.
Had he not wanted the move to Chelsea, he would’ve completed the midfield rebuild at Anfield.
For years now, fans have been told that the Reds are well positioned to react to market opportunities.
This is a result of them not spending recklessly. They don’t buy into the hype.
They shop smart and it allows them the financial freedom to make £100million offers for Caciedo and Wirtz without having to break rules, find legal loopholes or sell half of their squad to fund it.
Had Liverpool copied other teams, they’d be limited to a Cherki right now. They wouldn’t be able to be in the conversation for a Wirtz.
This sort of spending can’t be viewed as the norm though. There can’t be an expectation that the Reds spend £100million on players every single summer.
They’ll shop smartly. They’ll find value for money where possible and then they’ll react to market opportunities whenever the next Caicedo or Wirtz is available.
The Jeremie Frimpong g for Liverpool goes a long way to ensuring they’re able to bid over £100million for the Florian Wirtz’s of the world.
Balance is required and with Michael Edwards in charge at Anfield, the Reds have it.
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