Florian Wirz's name has been making waves on the Island in recent months. First because Manchester City wanted him - Pep Guardiola saw him as the ideal successor to Kevin de Bruyne - and then when it became clear that the young German would continue his career at Liverpool.
Virc is only separated from the English champions' jersey by medical examinations, scheduled for this week, and then he will sign a contract and become only the 10th footballer in history for whom a club had to pay a nine-figure compensation.
According to insiders, the Reds have agreed to pay Bayer 117 million euros immediately, and through bonuses, the deal could bring the "pharmacists" an additional 19 million. Overall, Bayer made a top-notch sale, and Liverpool did just as well because they got a player who, at 22, is already one of the best in the world. And he is still expected to shine.
Wirtz's transfer is the biggest in Liverpool's history, and the BBC notes that the giant from the city of the Beatles also has the second highest-paid goalkeeper ever (Alisson Becker) and the second highest-paid defender - Virgil van Dijk.
The record in English (and British) football is the arrival of Enzo Fernandes to Chelsea, who arrived from Benfica in 2023 for 121 million, but Wirtz will certainly surpass that transfer through bonuses. Cheaper than the transfers of him and Enzo will be the arrival of Moises Caicedo to Chelsea, Declan Rice to Arsenal and Jack Grealish to Manchester City...
The Premier League has existed since 1992, until then the English elite was called the First Division, and it is interesting how much the market on the Island has changed in the meantime.
23 years ago, Alan Shearer moved from Southampton to Blackburn for a record £3,6 million - at today's exchange rate, that's just over four million euros.
A year later, Roy Keane was paid 100 more when he joined Manchester United from Nottingham Forest, and the first eight-figure transfer was not until 1996. That's when seasoned goalscorer Shearer arrived at Newcastle for 15 million pounds (17,3 million euros)...
Since 2000, the Premier League has been a completely different story. Already in 2001, Manchester United paid Lazio £28,1 million to sign Juan Sebastian Veron, followed by the transfers of Rio Ferdinand (from Leeds to United for £30), Andriy Shevchenko (from Milan to Chelsea, £30,6), Robinho - to Manchester City from Real Madrid (32,5) and Fernando Torres, who joined Chelsea from Atletico Madrid for £2011 million in 50.
The 100 million euro mark was broken by Paul Pogba, for whom the Red Devils paid Juventus around 2016 million (105 million pounds) in 89. Especially in recent years, record signings have not been immediately evident, now the pressure of being the highest paid is on Virgil - will he justify it at Anfield?
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