Liverpool Signs Florian Wirtz for British-Record Fee

British news outlets said on Friday that Premier League winners Liverpool have agreed to pay Bayer Leverkusen 136.3 million euros ($156.75 million) to recruit Germany’s attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz.

A rumour says that Wirtz is likely to sign a five-year deal. The fee will be 117.5 million euros up front and 18.8 million euros in options. In 45 games for Leverkusen last season, the German scored 16 goals and set up 15 others.

Manchester City wanted to sign Wirtz, but they lost interest because of how much it would cost. Bayern Munich, the Bundesliga champions, were also interested in him because they were linked with him.

Andy Robertson, Liverpool’s left-back, said that Wirtz was a “exciting talent” after the signing. He also said that the German gave them a hard time and caused a lot of trouble while playing for Leverkusen.

He went on to say that the talents he displayed were enough for him to think he may be the next big thing in the game.

“He played quite well against us. “He was the one causing trouble. He was in the half space, running behind, and he can mix it up,” Robertson said.

“That was enough for me to know he’s going to be a great player. He played quite well for the German team against us.

“If we get him through, we’ll have an interesting new talent on board. We already have a lot of great skill. He’s a great player, and he’ll only make us better. We’ll be happy to play with him if he gets through the door.