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Liverpool have started ambitious plans to build on their Premier League title triumph by submitting a club record £109m bid for Florian Wirtz and signing his Bayer Leverkusen teammate, Jeremie Frimpong for £29.5m. The moves came on the day Liverpool agreed to let Trent Alexander-Arnold join Real Madrid early in a deal worth £10m.
Liverpool head coach, Arne Slot, considers Wirtz an ideal option to improve his Premier League champions and the club moved quickly to open talks with Leverkusen once the coveted 22-year-old rejected a move to Bayern Munich. Manchester City were also interested in the attacking midfielder but withdrew seemingly as a result of the financial package involved.
The offer for the Germany international is £109m (€130m) including add-ons and comfortably eclipses Liverpool’s current transfer record of £85m for Darwin Núñez. Negotiations have progressed swiftly but it remains to be seen whether Leverkusen will sell at that price. The German club valued Wirtz, who can play across the front line, at £126m (€150m) when Bayern made their approach. Liverpool’s position is strengthened by the fact Wirtz, capped 29 times by Germany, wants to join them and is keen on a fresh challenge abroad after five years in the Bundesliga.
Liverpool’s first signing of what is expected to be a busy summer is Frimpong. Liverpool triggered a €35m (£29.5m) release clause in the Netherlands international’s contract that will be paid in three annual instalments. Frimpong can operate at right-back but is not considered a like-for-like replacement for Alexander-Arnold by Liverpool, who also have Conor Bradley and others competing for that role. The 24-year-old’s ability to also play as a wing-back or as an orthodox winger added to the attraction for Liverpool and increases Slot’s tactical options for next season, when Mohamed Salah will be absent for a period due to the Africa Cup of Nations. That tournament is scheduled to take place in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January.
Frimpong, an international team-mate of Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo, will officially become a Liverpool player when the transfer window opens on Sunday. On the same day Alexander-Arnold’s registration will transfer to Madrid, who reopened talks with Liverpool this week to sign the defender in time for the Club World Cup, which starts on 14 June.
Alexander-Arnold’s Liverpool contract is due to expire on 30 June and the Spanish giants initially proposed an £850,000 deal to sign him early. That was rejected. However, a deal has now been reached whereby Real will pay Liverpool a one-off €10m fee to cancel the right-back’s contract 29 days early. They will also cover Alexander-Arnold’s wages for the month of June. That means the total deal is worth £10m to Liverpool.
Liverpool could have banked £20m for the homegrown defender had they accepted Real’s first approach in late December. But the club prioritised the team’s pursuit of the title under Slot, with Alexander-Arnold playing an important part in the successful mission.
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“Liverpool FC can confirm an offer has been accepted for Trent Alexander-Arnold from Real Madrid for his transfer upon the opening of the June transfer window,” read a club statement. “Liverpool will receive a fee for his services, with the deal to be concluded once the window opens on 1 June. Alexander-Arnold leaves Liverpool FC with the club appreciative and grateful for his contribution to those successes.”
Liverpool have interest in the Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez, who is valued at £45m. The champions are also expected to move for another striker, especially should Luis Díaz or Núñez move on this summer, with both forwards attracting interest from clubs in Saudi Arabia.
