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Liverpool have reportedly raised their offer to £109 million ($146 million) to sign Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Florian Wirtz, according to reports on Friday.
The Premier League champions’ second bid includes performance-related add-ons that could make Wirtz the most expensive player ever signed by the club.
While Bayern Munich and Manchester City have also expressed interest, it is understood that Wirtz has informed Leverkusen of his desire to join Liverpool ahead of next season.
Leverkusen’s sporting director, Simon Rolfes, confirmed on Monday that Liverpool had shown “concrete interest” in the 22-year-old midfielder.
However, Leverkusen’s CEO, Fernando Carro, had previously stated he would not permit Wirtz to leave for anything less than £125 million.
Wirtz has quickly established himself as one of Europe’s brightest young playmakers, playing a key role in Leverkusen’s first Bundesliga title win in the 2023-24 season. He was named Bundesliga Player of the Season following his contributions to that success.
This season, Wirtz appeared in 31 league matches, scoring 10 goals as Leverkusen finished runners-up behind Bayern Munich.
Since making his debut for Leverkusen at 17 after moving from Cologne in 2020, Wirtz has scored 57 goals in 197 appearances.
In related transfer news, Liverpool manager Arne Slot also secured the signing of Leverkusen right-back Jeremie Frimpong. The Reds are believed to have activated a £30 million release clause for the Dutch international.
Frimpong is expected to fill the gap left by Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose long-anticipated transfer to Real Madrid was confirmed on Friday.
