Wirtz and frimpong can spark rapid liverpool change after slot transfer claim

LIVERPOOL ARE LOOKING TO ADD FLORIAN WIRTZ TO THEIR SQUAD NEXT AFTER SIGNING JEREMIE FRIMPONG FROM BAYER LEVERKUSEN 14:57, 01 Jun 2025 Arne Slot had tried to downplay the size of the

transfer window that had been approaching at Liverpool but actions have since spoken louder than the words. Asked for his take on Virgil van Dijk's claim that "a big summer"

was on its way for the Premier League champions, Slot attempted to undersell it, preferring, as he has tended to, to extol the virtues of the players currently at his disposal instead.

"Let's see what the rest of the summer will bring," Slot said in late April. "But it would be strange for me to say now I am not happy with the team we are having because

I've said this for a year, we are happy with the team we are having. Maybe if we can keep that team it will already be a big summer." READ MORE: Linda Pizzuti thanks Liverpool

supporters for trophy parade turnout - 'It was magical'READ MORE: Milos Kerkez speaks out on potential Liverpool move after £45m transfer interest Despite the public insistence

though, Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes had already identified two specific traits they wanted to inject into a squad that eventually ended the campaign as Premier League by 10

points, without winning any of their final four games. Improving such a group of players is clearly a difficult task but the ball is not so much already rolling as it is snowballing downhill

at quite the pace. "If I look at the way we think about next season and our squad," Slot said last month. "These are things that are on my mind. I think we can find one or

two extra weapons that this team doesn’t have. Maybe, maybe by using the transfer market. Article continues below "That is what we are trying to achieve. That will only make us

stronger. That is what we need because we saw City spending £200m in the transfer window. All of them will. Apart from the transfer window, we can also improve certain aspects ourselves.

"I think [evolving the team] happened already with us in the second half of the season. Teams got to know us even better or tried to find answers to our playing style." Versatility

and speed have been identified as the two qualities needed to grow Slot's Liverpool project further and that much has been evidenced by Friday's capture of Jeremie Frimpong from

Bayer Leverkusen. The £29.5m triggering of the Netherlands international's release clause sees him arrive on the same day Trent Alexander-Arnold's £10m switch to Real Madrid was

confirmed. Given the Reds are also saving on bonuses and a month's wages for one of the highest earners in the squad, it's quite the achievement to set aside more than a third of

the fee for Frimpong simply by allowing the outgoing Alexander-Arnold out of his contract 29 days early. It's the sort of negotiation that harked back to Liverpool's £145m

negotiation with Barcelona for Philippe Coutinho in January of 2018. Then sporting director Michael Edwards had a clause inserted into the deal that excluded Barca from returning for any

Reds player for the next two years on top of a fee that was highest ever received for a Premier League exit. "I do know we can make different things better with this team already,"

Slot said recently. "I’ve said a few times we could add one or two qualities…pace is one of those that could make us even stronger." Frimpong, in basic terms, is a replacement for

Alexander-Arnold at right-back but he is being viewed internally as someone who will provide depth and quality across the entire right side at Anfield. Known in Germany as a

'Flugelsprinter', which translates to wing-sprinter, Frimpong is not your typical right-sided full-back. Liverpool see a world where he can operate on the right of the attack when

Mohamed Salah is in Morocco for the Africa Cup of Nations in December and his speed will become one of those 'new weapons' which Slot spoke about last month. Frimpong's top

recorded speed of 36.34 kilometres-per-hour placed him among the fastest players in the Bundesliga last term, and the Netherlands international also made the most sprints of any player in

Germany across 24/25. That would place him inside the top five of the Premier League term. And while that sort of pace is not something transfer target Florian Wirtz is naturally associated

with, the Germany international's tactical flexibility is perhaps a key part of the package that now has Liverpool bidding £109m for his services. Having won the charm offensive ahead

of Manchester City and Bayern Munich, the Reds are now locked in negotiations with Leverkusen over the 22-year-old Wirtz and any deal agreed will be a club record one. The offer, which was

thought to be the second, was tabled on Friday and talks remain ongoing. Capable of playing on either flank and as a 'false 9' but excelling as a central attacking midfielder,

Wirtz has the profile to be able to operate and thrive in a number of roles. If Wirtz has many traits of the classic and indeed archetypal No.10, though, he combines it with the sort of work

ethic that is needed in the modern game to become one of the true elite. Article continues below No player has won possession back in the final third more than the Leverkusen star across

the last two Bundesliga campaigns, which is a statistic that will be music to the ears of Slot and co. Especially as they set about adding more speed and versatility to the Liverpool ranks.