From £11m to £100m – how has Liverpool’s record spending changed?

They say you get what you pay for – and Liverpool will be hoping that rings true in the case of Florian Wirtz.It is understood the initial fee for the 22-year-old will be a £100m, and with that Wirtz becomes the Reds’ club record signing.AdvertisementIt is a badge that has been held by club captain Virgil van Dijk since he joined for £75m from Southampton in January 2018.Often praised for their shrewd business in recent years, it is not a regular occurrence for Liverpool to go out and break the bank to secure a player.With the arrival of Wirtz, since 2000 the Reds have set a new club record on seven occasions, so how has that spending evolved?Emile Heskey – £11m in 2000The striker was the first club record signing after the turn of the century when he joined from Leicester for £11m – the third most expensive player in English football at the time.AdvertisementIt was a long-standing pursuit of Heskey for Liverpool but it proved worth it with the England international scoring 60 goals in 223 appearances and securing five medals before leaving for Birmingham City in 2004.Djibril Cisse – £14m in 2004Four years after the signing of Heskey, the Reds broke their club record by £3m to bring in another forward in Cisse from French side Auxerre.The then 22-year-old suffered serious bad luck with injuries during his time at Anfield. However, he did still feature 79 times in two years and scored 24 goals.He also scored a crucial penalty in Liverpool’s Champions League final shootout with AC Milan in 2005.AdvertisementFernando Torres – £20m in 2007In a running theme, it was another striker three years later that would increase the club’s record signing by £6m with the arrival of Torres from Atletico Madrid.The Spaniard became adored by Reds during his time on Merseyside, before an acrimonious £50m exit to Premier League rivals Chelsea in January 2011.In his four years, he played 142 times and scored an impressive 81 goals.Andy Carroll – £35m in 2011Once again, the Reds brought in a number nine and broke the club record by £15m when signing Andy Carroll from Newcastle following the exit of Torres.Despite signing a five-and-a-half-year deal, it was a somewhat ill-fated time at Anfield for Carroll. He made just 58 appearances and netted 11 goals before making a loan move in 2012 and then permanent switch to West Ham in 2013.AdvertisementNaby Keita – £48m in 2017It would be six years before Liverpool would break their record again, this time spending £48m (plus a reported undisclosed premium) to secure the signature of Keita from RB Leipzig – a year before he would officially arrive in 2018.There were big expectations on the midfielder, but injuries hampered his time with the Reds – 129 appearances across five years – but he still came away with multiple winners’ medals.Virgil van Dijk – £75m in 2018It was a big-spending 12 months for Liverpool when they smashed their club record by £27m with the signing of Van Dijk from Southampton a year after Keita.AdvertisementIt was also a then world record fee for a defender and former Newcastle striker Alan Shearer said at the time the Netherlands international was “not worth it at all”.However, 319 appearances and nine pieces of silverware later, it is safe to say it has been a success.Florian Wirtz – £100m in 2025It has taken seven years for the Reds to break their own record again, but they will do that with Wirtz.Now, only time will tell whether it will go down as one of the success stories or relative disappointments.