To paraphrase Jurgen Klopp's former assistant, Pep Lijnders, Liverpool should be looking to bring two types of players into its first team: elite academy prospects or stars so good that they are viewed as game-changers.

Wirtz had grown up in a family that refused to compromise his development, nor that of his sister Juliane, who plays for Werder Bremen. His father Hans remains the chairman of Grun-Weiss Brauweiler, Wirtz's childhood was framed around the local football team. He grew up with a ball attached to his feet.

Anfield's executives do not often spend big on ready-made superstars but they were glad to make an exception for German star

Should all those bonuses be triggered, Wirtz would become the most expensive signing in Premier League history, eclipsing Chelsea’s £115 million ($156.4 million) acquisition of Moisés Caicedo from Brighton & Hove Albion in 2023.

Liverpool have agreed a deal to sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for an initial $135 million, according to CBS Sports sources. The agreement to sign the German international could ultimately break the British transfer record set by Chelsea when they signed Enzo Fernandez from Benfica for just short of $145 million.

With Florian Wirtz set to join Liverpool for a club-record £100m, BBC Sport look at where the Germany midfielder will play.

Liverpool's squad will look slightly different when the 2025-26 season gets under way in a couple of months' time, with the Reds set to sign and sell further players this summer