Eyebrows were raised this summer when Liverpool uncharacteristically splashed the cash to build a team reminiscent of the Galacticos as they attempted to form a dynasty off the back of their 20th league title win last season.
£446million was spent on players in what proved to be the most expensive transfer window in the club’s history. At the centre of that were two mammoth signings: Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak.
Sporting director Richard Hughes started the summer window with a statement of intent by securing the services of the sought-after Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen, in a package worth a then-British record £116m.
Two months went by, and more players came in. The Premier League season started, nine points accrued, and then the big one arrived… Isak.
A saga that lasted all summer finally came to an end on deadline day. Liverpool smashed both their club record and the British record for the second time in the same summer to land their number one striker target Isak for £125m.
On paper, that amounts to £241m for just two attacking players. However, that amount of money has not just left the Liverpool accounts in one lump sum; no, the structure of both deals means that the Reds have only committed to spending £51.25m on both players combined this summer, according to The Times.
Alexander Isak signed for a Liverpool in a British record package deal worth £125million
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Florian Wirtz (right) cost £100m up front, but Liverpool have reportedly split that into five instalments
When it comes to Wirtz, Liverpool will pay Leverkusen a guaranteed £100m, no matter whether the German attacking midfielder is a success in England or not.
That large sum of money will be split into five equal instalments over time, something negotiated by Hughes to ease ‘the strain on finances’.
The add-ons agreed in the deal, which are worth an extra £16m to Leverkusen, will only be paid if Liverpool win the Champions League or the Premier League on four separate occasions during Wirtz’s time at Anfield.
The negotiations to bring Isak through the door proved much tougher for Hughes, with a deal looking unlikely at times before Newcastle finally loosened their grip on the Swede on the Sunday night ahead of the deadline.
Liverpool initially bid £110m for the striker, a fee they deemed as respectable at the time, but it was rejected almost immediately by the Magpies hierarchy, and then ensued a four-week saga in which Isak pushed hard for his dream move, while Hughes and Co stood back and waited for the all clear to launch a second bid.
That second bid came after encouragement on 31 August, just hours after Arne Slot’s side had dispatched of their title rivals Arsenal at Anfield, with the two clubs agreeing on a record-breaking £125m fee.
The Times has revealed that the deal will be paid in four instalments, meaning that Liverpool have only had to fork out £31.25m for Isak this summer.
There is a possibility that Isak, who netted 23 Premier League goals last term, could make his debut for the club at Turf Moor on Sunday, as Liverpool take on Burnley looking for their fourth successive league win.
Richard Hughes has reportedly negotiated the two deals so that Liverpool only spend £51.25m on teh two players this summer
However, due to his lack of pre-season and the form of fellow new striker Hugo Ekitike, who cost Liverpool £79m this window, it is likely that the Swedish star will have to settle for the bench.
Another arrival, Milos Kerkez, will also be involved, with summer signings Giovanni Leoni, Giorgi Mamardashvili, and the returning Jeremie Frimpong, all in training.
Slot’s side are the only side left in the Premier League yet to drop a point, despite not having played their best football, having beaten Bournemouth and Newcastle, as well as the Gunners.
