Liverpool sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for huge fee that could climb to $156m

Liverpool sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for huge fee that could climb to $156m
Liverpool delivered a huge statement of intent after winning the Premier League title by signing Germany star Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen on Friday. (X/@LFC)
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Updated 20 June 2025
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Liverpool sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for huge fee that could climb to $156m

Liverpool sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for huge fee that could climb to $156m
  • “I feel very happy and very proud,” Wirtz told the official Liverpool website
  • “Finally it’s done and I was waiting for a long time”

LONDON: Liverpool delivered a huge statement of intent after winning the Premier League title by signing Germany star Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen on Friday.

The transfer fee could climb to 116 million pounds ($156 million), which would make the 22-year-old Wirtz the most expensive player in the history of British soccer.

“I feel very happy and very proud,” Wirtz told the official Liverpool website. “Finally it’s done and I was waiting for a long time.

“I’m really excited to have a new adventure in front of me. This was also a big point of my thoughts: that I want to have something completely new, to go out of the Bundesliga and to join the Premier League.

“I will see how I can perform there. I hope I can do my best. I spoke also with some players who played there and they told me that it’s perfect for me and every pitch is perfect, you can enjoy every game. I’m really looking forward to playing my first game.”

Liverpool, determined to keep moving forward despite securing a record-tying 20th English top-flight title, splashed out a club record to bring in not only one of the best players from Germany, but one of the top youngsters in the world.

Wirtz has been a key first-team player for Leverkusen since he was 17. He was the outstanding attacking player in the team that won the Bundesliga and German Cup in 2023-24 without losing a game, and is a regular in Germany’s national team.

It’s why Liverpool were ready to pay a guaranteed 100 million pounds, plus 16 million pounds in potential add-ons. Wirtz had two years left on his contract, giving Leverkusen leverage in negotiations.

The Premier League record for an initial fee was set when Chelsea signed Enzo Fernandez from Benfica for 106.7 million pounds ($131.4 million at the time) in 2023, before the London club agreed to pay up to 115 million pounds ($146 million at the time) for midfielder Moises Caicedo from Brighton later that year.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot arrived last summer and signed just one outfield player — forward Federico Chiesa — for the 2024-25 season.

Chiesa barely played and the Reds won the league by 10 points, after which Slot and some of his players — including Virgil van Dijk — spoke about there being big plans for this transfer window.

Having already signed right wing back Jeremie Frimpong from Leverkusen for a reported 35 to 40 million euros ($39.7 million to $45.4 million), Liverpool have returned to the German club to take Wirtz, who rejected an opportunity to join Bayern Munich — a Bundesliga rival which have long pursued him.

One obstacle to that move was the size of the fee Leverkusen wanted. Another was concern over how Wirtz might fit into the same lineup as Jamal Musiala, Germany’s other standout young attacking midfielder.

Losing Wirtz leaves Leverkusen and their new coach, Erik ten Hag with an even bigger rebuild following the departure of Xabi Alonso for Real Madrid.

Just after his 17th birthday, Wirtz became the youngest player in Leverkusen’s history when he made his debut against Werder Bremen in May 2020, in an empty stadium at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A month later he was the youngest player to score in Bundesliga history, though that record has since been topped.

Wirtz’s versatile attacking midfield play was a vital ingredient in Alonso transforming Leverkusen into a team that could win the Bundesliga and German Cup without losing a game.

He and Alonso stayed for another sometimes-disappointing season which ended with second place to Bayern in the league and a loss to Bayern in the Champions League round of 16.

Wirtz showed he can deal with adversity when a cruciate ligament tear in his knee ruled him out for almost all of 2022 — including Alonso’s first games as coach — before he returned to power Leverkusen to their league and cup double in 2023-24.

Wirtz has become a vital player for the German national team with 29 caps. He played all five of their matches at Euro 2024 on home soil.

He’s also had to contend with hostility from fans of his boyhood club Cologne, which he left for nearby Leverkusen at 16. Liverpool and Bayern were reportedly interested then, too.

Cologne claimed that deal broke an agreement between the clubs not to pursue each other’s youth players. Leverkusen argued Wirtz was so talented that he counted as a first-team player despite his age.

Cologne and Leverkusen are barely 10 kilometers (6 miles) apart, so going to Liverpool will be the first time that Wirtz has moved away from his roots.

His parents Hans Wirtz and Karin Gross have played a big role in his career — they were also his agents until last year — and he’s close to his older sister Juliane, a professional player for Werder Bremen in the women’s Bundesliga.

Wirtz’s decision to turn down Bayern and the Bundesliga for Liverpool has caused some raised eyebrows in Germany.

“I wouldn’t have thought Florian would make this switch so early,” former Germany great Lothar Matthäus told broadcaster n-tv last month. “But he wants to get out of his comfort zone.”

Wirtz seems likely to slot in as the No. 10 at Liverpool, a more creative solution in that role compared to the hard-running Dominik Szoboszlai.

Whether Slot also now pushes for a new striker as an upgrade to current options Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez remains to be seen.

Szoboszlai could drop back into one of the two deeper midfield positions, competing with Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Curtis Jones.


Iga Swiatek destroys Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 to win first Wimbledon title

Iga Swiatek destroys Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 to win first Wimbledon title
Updated 12 July 2025
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Iga Swiatek destroys Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 to win first Wimbledon title

Iga Swiatek destroys Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 to win first Wimbledon title
  • Swiatek, 24, is just the second player in the Open era to win a major without losing a game in the final since Steffi Graf humbled Natalia Zvereva at the 1988 French Open

LONDON: Iga Swiatek demolished Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 in the most one-sided women’s Wimbledon final for 114 years to win her sixth Grand Slam title.

The Polish eighth seed was in charge from the first point and wrapped up victory in just 57 minutes in a brutal display of precision hitting on Center Court.

It is the first time a woman has won a final at Wimbledon without dropping a game since 1911, when Britain’s Dorothea Lambert Chambers triumphed by the same scoreline.

And Swiatek, 24, is just the second player in the Open era to win a major without losing a game in the final since Steffi Graf humbled Natalia Zvereva at the 1988 French Open.

“It seems super surreal,” said Swiatek, who is the first Wimbledon singles champion from Poland and has now won majors on all surfaces.

“I didn’t even dream, for me it was way too far. I feel like I am already an experienced player after winning the Slams before but I never expected this one.

“This year I really, really enjoyed it and feel I improved my form here.

“I am always going to remember the opening of champagne bottles between serves. It is a sound that will keep me awake at night.”

Swiatek lost just one set during the entire tournament as she won her first trophy on grass, two weeks after reaching the final of the grass-court event at Bad Homburg.

US 13th seed Anisimova was expected to prove a stern test after ousting world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals, but Swiatek performed a demolition job.

Anisimova made a nervous start in hot conditions on Center Court, with Catherine, Princess of Wales, watching from the Royal Box.

She was broken in the first game, soon slipping 2-0 behind and the signs looked ominous.

The American appeared to have found her feet in her next service game but the merciless Swiatek refused to give ground and recovered to move 3-0 ahead when Anisimova double-faulted.

At 4-0 down Anisimova was facing a first-set wipe-out but she was powerless to halt the rampant Swiatek, who sealed the opener 6-0 in just 25 minutes.

The American won just six points on her serve in the first set and committed 14 unforced errors.

An increasingly desperate Anisimova could not stem the tide in the second set, double-faulting again in the third game to give her opponent game point and then netting a backhand.

The crowd got behind her but to no avail as Swiatek kept up her level, serving out to win and celebrating before consoling her devastated opponent.

Anisimova made 28 unforced errors in the 12 games.

Swiatek is Wimbledon’s eighth consecutive first-time women’s champion since Serena Williams won her seventh and final title at the All England Club in 2016.

She has won all six major finals in which she has competed.

Swiatek, who now has 100 career Grand Slam match wins, has won the French Open four times and also the US Open, in 2022.

Her previous best performance at Wimbledon was a run to the quarter-finals in 2023.

The distraught Anisimova left court briefly before returning for the trophy presentation.

The American, who lost in qualifying last year, broke down in tears again during her speech on court, calling Swiatek an “incredible player.”

“I know I didn’t have enough today but I’ll keep putting in the work,” she said.

“I keep believing in myself and I hope to be back here one day. Thank you everyone.”


Mitch Evans wins in Berlin, Rowland’s Formula E title bid on hold

Mitch Evans wins in Berlin, Rowland’s Formula E title bid on hold
Updated 12 July 2025
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Mitch Evans wins in Berlin, Rowland’s Formula E title bid on hold

Mitch Evans wins in Berlin, Rowland’s Formula E title bid on hold
  • Rowland would have been champion with three races to spare had he finished 69 points clear of closest rival Pascal Wehrlein but instead he retired

BERLIN: Jaguar's Mitch Evans won the first of two Formula E races in Berlin on Saturday as Nissan's Oliver Rowland failed to finish on a grey and soggy afternoon that left the Briton's title bid on hold for another day at least.

Rowland would have been champion with three races to spare had he finished 69 points clear of closest rival Pascal Wehrlein but instead he retired with a damaged car and his lead reduced to 50.

It was the leader's first retirement of the season.

Porsche's Wehrlein, the defending champion from Germany, finished second with a bonus point for fastest lap at Berlin's Tempelhof Airport circuit and Mahindra's Swiss driver Edoardo Mortara was third for his second successive podium.

Rowland can still clinch the title on Sunday if he finishes 59 points clear of Wehrlein, otherwise the chase continues to the final two races in London at the end of the month.

There are still 87 points to be won.

Rowland slipped from third to fifth at the start, with the safety car deployed after Jake Dennis's Andretti was stranded on the grid, but the key moment came six laps from the end when he made contact with Stoffel Van Doorne's Maserati and spun around.

The impact damaged the car's right front suspension and Rowland had to stop.

The win, from pole position and through two safety car periods, was New Zealander Evans's second of the season and the record-equalling 14th of his career as well as Jaguar's 50th podium in Formula E.

McLaren's Taylor Barnard finished fourth and moved up to third in the championship, 68 points behind Rowland.

In the teams' championship, Porsche -- who had Antonio Felix da Costa demoted from third to 10th thanks to a five-second penalty for an overly-aggressive move -- have 221 points to Nissan's 191 and DS Penske on 153.


Bosnian center Kenan Kamenjaš joins Dubai Basketball

Bosnian center Kenan Kamenjaš joins Dubai Basketball
Updated 12 July 2025
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Bosnian center Kenan Kamenjaš joins Dubai Basketball

Bosnian center Kenan Kamenjaš joins Dubai Basketball
  • The 25-year-old signs two-year deal ahead of 2025-26 EuroLeague

DUBAI: Dubai Basketball have secured Bosnian centre Kenan Kamenjaš on a two-year deal, adding one of the ABA League’s most promising talents to their roster ahead of the club’s debut EuroLeague campaign.

Standing at 2.07m, the 25-year-old will step onto Europe’s biggest basketball stage for the first time as he joins Dubai Basketball in their historic effort to compete among the world’s elite.

The Bosnian center arrives from Budućnost VOLI, where he made a strong impact on the paint. He began the 2023-24 season with SC Derby before joining Budućnost, averaging 13.2 points and 8.3 rebounds across both stints.

In the 2024-25 campaign, Kamenjaš continued to impress, posting 11.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, with a Performance Index Rating of 17.8. He also stood out in the EuroCup, where he contributed 10.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Kamenjaš was also a pivotal part of the team that delivered one of Dubai Basketball’s only away-game losses in the ABA League regular season.

Having contributed to 39 games for the Montenegrin team last season, Kamenjaš is looking to bring a new wave of offensive basketball to Dubai.

Prior to his time in Podgorica, Kamenjaš rose through the ranks at Spars Sarajevo, debuting professionally in 2017 and steadily establishing himself as one of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s brightest talents. A consistent figure in his national team, Kamenjaš has featured in FIBA Basketball World Cup and EuroBasket qualifiers, adding valuable international experience to his growing resumé.

Dubai Basketball enter the EuroLeague this season with the ambition of challenging the best teams in Europe, after finishing third in their inaugural ABA League campaign.


Pakistan won’t send hockey teams to India — official sources

Pakistan won’t send hockey teams to India — official sources
Updated 12 July 2025
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Pakistan won’t send hockey teams to India — official sources

Pakistan won’t send hockey teams to India — official sources
  • The two nuclear-armed states had a four-day military standoff in May that left 70 people dead
  • Pakistan’s refusal to participate in the Asia Cup can cost the team a place in next year’s World Cup

KARACHI: Pakistan will not travel to India for upcoming hockey tournaments over “security” concerns, government sources told AFP on Saturday, potentially jeopardizing their place in next year’s World Cup.

The nuclear-armed neighbors traded the worst violence in decades during a four-day conflict in May that killed 70 people.

Pakistan was due to participate in the Men’s Asia Cup for field hockey to be hosted by India in August and September, for which the federation had sought the government’s clearance.

“After the recent war the security and safety of our hockey players will be at risk,” said a sports ministry source, who asked not to be identified.

Pakistan will also not participate in the Junior World Cup in India in November, the source said.

Once a force in international hockey, with three Olympic gold medals and four world titles, Pakistan has slumped to 15th in the rankings.

Not featuring in the Asia Cup will likely cost Pakistan a place in next year’s senior World Cup to be held in the Netherlands and Belgium.

A second government source also confirmed the decision to AFP.

Pakistan’s foreign office has not responded to AFP’s request for comment.

India stalled all bilateral sporting ties with Pakistan in the wake of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which it blamed on militants based across the border.

Cricket has been the most affected sport, with the two countries only meeting each other in multinational events abroad.

India refused to visit Pakistan this year when it hosted the Champions Trophy, forcing the final to be staged on neutral ground in Dubai.

In a tit-for-tat move, Pakistan will also not send its women’s cricket team to India for the 50-over World Cup later this year and the T20 World Cup in 2026.

They agreed instead to play their matches in Sri Lanka.

Pakistan’s hockey team last toured India for the 2023 Asian Champions Trophy, finishing fifth among six teams.


Swiatek and Anisimova battle to be new queen of Wimbledon

Swiatek and Anisimova battle to be new queen of Wimbledon
Updated 12 July 2025
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Swiatek and Anisimova battle to be new queen of Wimbledon

Swiatek and Anisimova battle to be new queen of Wimbledon
  • Five-time Grand Slam winner Swiatek had previously never gone beyond the quarter-finals at the All England Club
  • No player has retained the crown since the now-retired Serena Williams won her seventh and final Wimbledon title in 2016

LONDON: Iga Swiatek and Amanda Anisimova clash in the Wimbledon final on Saturday with a new women’s champion guaranteed for the eighth consecutive year.

Five-time Grand Slam winner Swiatek had previously never gone beyond the quarter-finals at the All England Club while US 13th seed Anisimova is preparing for her first major final.

No player has retained the crown since the now-retired Serena Williams won her seventh and final Wimbledon title in 2016.

Aryna Sabalenka started as the hot favorite after reaching the past three Grand Slam finals but faltered in a gripping semifinal against Anisimova.

Poland’s Swiatek is seeded eighth at Wimbledon following a disappointing first half of the season, though she is back up to fourth in the rankings after reaching the final of the grass-court Bad Homburg tournament.

That run, together with her surge through the draw at All England Club, suggests the 24-year-old is cured of her grass-court allergy.

Initially she went under the radar at Wimbledon, with the focus on Sabalenka and French Open champion Coco Gauff, but she kept winning while the top seeds tumbled, dropping just one set on route to the final.

Swiatek brushed aside former Olympic champion Belinda Bencic 6-2, 6-0 in Thursday’s semifinal.

Four of her five Grand Slam titles have come on the clay of Roland Garros and she won the 2022 US Open on hard courts.

But she is finally showing an affinity with the lawns of Wimbledon, a development that has shocked even her.

“Honestly, I never even dreamed that it’s going to be possible for me to play in the final,” Swiatek said.

“So I’m just super-excited and proud of myself and, I don’t know, tennis keeps surprising me.

“I’ve been enjoying just this new feeling of being a bit more comfortable on grass.”

Swiatek has won all five of her Grand Slam finals, but standing in the way of a sixth major title and a cheque for $4 million (£3 million) is Anisimova.

The 23-year-old American shattered Sabalenka’s title bid with a shock 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win on Thursday.

Anisimova has overcome many obstacles to make her maiden Grand Slam final.

She reached the French Open semifinals in 2019 at the age of just 17.

But in 2023 she took an eight-month break from the court for mental health reasons, tumbling out the top 400.

This time last year, she was on the comeback trail but was ranked too low to get into the Wimbledon main draw and fell in qualifying.

“If you told me I would be in the final of Wimbledon, I would not believe you. It’s indescribable to be honest,” she said.

Anisimova, whose parents emigrated from Russia in the 1990s, added: “I think it goes to show that it is possible.

“I think that’s a really special message that I think I’ve been able to show because when I took my break, a lot of people told me that you would never make it to the top again if you take so much time away from the game.”

Anisimova won the Qatar Open in February and showed she was comfortable on grass by reaching the Queen’s Club final in June.

She is guaranteed to reach the top 10 for the first time when the rankings are updated on Monday.

The two players have never met professionally, though they did face each other as juniors, with Swiatek coming out on top.

“I did lose that match against her, unfortunately,” said Anisimova. “I remember a lot of coaches were saying that she’s going to be a big deal one day. Obviously they were right.

“I’m sure it will be an amazing match. Getting to compete against an unbelievable player again is going to be super special.”