Liverpool confirmed the signing of Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen on Friday, with Milos Kerkez looking likely to be the next through the door at Anfield this summer
Liverpool’s transfer window has been nothing short of impressive so far — and even Premier League legends Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer are taking notice. The signing of Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen, officially confirmed on Friday, was another big statement from Arne Slot and the club’s new-look leadership.
Wirtz joins former Leverkusen teammate Jeremie Frimpong and young goalkeeper Armin Pecsi, as Liverpool continue to reshape the squad ahead of the 2025/26 season. Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Lineker didn’t hide his admiration for the Reds’ recruitment so far.
“Liverpool have been very impressive so far, I think, with the signings that they’ve done,” he said. “They’ve just completed Florian Wirtz — it’s a lot of dough for Bayer Leverkusen, but he’s a wonderfully talented player.”
He also pointed out that the club isn’t done yet, with Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez set to follow in a £40 million move. In total, just under £200 million has already been spent, but Lineker doesn’t think that’s a bad thing — especially given the quality that’s coming in.
The conversation then shifted to Wirtz’s likely role in Slot’s system. Shearer believes he’ll float between an attacking midfield and central playmaker role.
“I think it will be floating between the two,” Shearer explained. “You’ll have Salah on one side, someone else on the other, and Wirtz in that number 10 role.”
Lineker then cheekily added, “Yeah, and [Alexander] Isak as the nine, right?” But Shearer, a Newcastle United legend, quickly shut that down: “No chance.”
The Isak-to-Liverpool links have been doing the rounds all summer, but with Newcastle reportedly unwilling to sell, a move looks unlikely at this stage. That hasn’t stopped the rumours from swirling, but any real progress would require a huge fee and likely a domino effect involving Darwin Nunez moving on.
Speaking of Nunez, there’s still interest from Napoli, and if a deal is struck, Liverpool may revisit other striker options. But for now, it seems the club is focused on locking down what it has — and the squad is already looking exciting.
Liverpool return for pre-season in just over two weeks, with their first friendly set for Preston North End. By then, more transfers might be wrapped up, and the buzz around Anfield shows no sign of slowing down.