Liverpool will only pay an extra £16m for one summer signing if four targets are met
Liverpool will only pay an extra £16m to Bayer Leverkusen for Florian Wirtz if four targets are met by the Reds, according to reports.
The Merseysiders had one of the most successful summer transfer windows in the Premier League with Arne Slot bringing in eight new signings.
Hugo Ekitike, Wirtz, Alexander Isak, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez and Giovanni Leoni headlined the new additions at Liverpool.
Wirtz and Isak were particularly eye-catching signings with Liverpool already possessing a very good squad after winning the Premier League title the season before.
There was talk of a record-breaking fee for Wirtz as Bayer Leverkusen negotiated a high price but Liverpool ended up agreeing an initial £100m with another £16m in performance-related add-ons.
And now The Times reporter Paul Joyce insists that Liverpool will only ever pay that £16m if they win the Premier League or Champions League four times while Wirtz is a Red.
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Joyce wrote: ‘His guaranteed fee was £100million, and add-ons of up to £16million will only be triggered should Liverpool savour success four times in either the Premier League or Champions League.
‘Importantly, Hughes also negotiated five equal payments to be made to Leverkusen to cover the initial outlay, which eases the strain on finances.’
Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen reckons Wirtz will come good after an underwhelming start to his time at Anfield, which has seen the 22-year-old fail to provide a goal or an assist.
Owen told talkSPORT: “It’s fair to say that he hasn’t set the Premier League alight.
“But it’s also fair to say there have been three games, and you can absolutely tell he’s quality.
“In the Community Shield game, he did a couple of things that took my breath away, and I was like, ‘I’m more excited about seeing him than any other player this season.'”
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Owen added: “He is adapting to new teammates. There are more things that he’s got to get used to.
“There’s no question at all about his talent. He could be absolutely anything he wants to be. I’m including the player of the season, one of the best players in the world, in the future.
“But it is possibly just going to take him a little bit of time. I would not be worried at all.
“I think it is premature, but I’m not going to sit here and say he’s not been quiet in the first three games, but they have won all three games, and he’s played a part, and I’m sure he’ll continue to grow into it.”
