Reds’ Transfer Blitz: Can Liverpool Afford Wirtz, Isak, Rodrygo & Ekitike?

After winning the Premier League title during Arne Slot’s first season in the Anfield dugout, Liverpool have spared no expense in bolstering the squad with one of the most surprising transfer windows in recent memory.

The Reds shockingly broke the division’s record outlay when they acquired the signature of Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz for £116m inclusive of add-ons, while his former Die Werkself teammate Jeremie Frimpong also made a £29.5m switch, and Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez joined for £40m.

The next big-money arrival is expected to be 23-year-old Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike, who will reportedly cost an initial £69m that could rise to £79m if the Frenchman triggers his performance-related add-ons.

However, while such an impressive list of signings would represent a strong summer of business for any of England’s ‘big six’, the Merseysiders have not yet finished their work on that front.

Links to Newcastle striker Alexander Isak, who would command another record-breaking fee, and Real Madrid’s £86.7m-rated Rodrygo persist, not to mention the Reds’ supposed interest in Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi, and should the trio join the club, the Reds’ total transfer spending this summer would likely surpass £500m.

Here, Sports Mole considers how Liverpool can afford to part with half a billion in the 2025 summer transfer market.

Liverpool and Fenway Sports Group owner John W Henry in May 2024

Liverpool’s record revenues, Premier League win and Adidas kit deal
Liverpool enjoyed major success in 2024-25, winning the Premier League as well as reaching the League Cup final, and though they were eventually knocked out by tournament winners Paris Saint-Germain, they impressively topped the table in the Champions League group phase.

Winning silverware and reaching cup finals has become a habit for the Reds in recent seasons, and this has led to the accumulation of prize money in the coffers.

Additionally, the Merseysiders generated approximately £620m in revenue in 2024, their highest ever number, a five percent year-on-year increase and a figure that placed them amongst the top 10 highest grossing clubs according to the Deloitte Football Money League.

The completion and opening of the new Anfield Road stand – and the increase in the number of home games – boosted matchday revenue by £22m, while commercial revenue rose by £36m from the year prior.

Overall revenue has been anticipated by experts to reach £700m for the 2024-25 campaign due to on-field success and the return of Champions League football, and with Liverpool’s new Adidas kit deal worth more than £60m per year, that number could climb to £750m in 2025-26, leading to increased spending power in the transfer market.

Liverpool’s frugal spending, particularly under Jurgen Klopp
Chants of ‘the Reds have got no money’ from the home crowd are a regular occurrence at Anfield, a humorous reference to the fact that Jurgen Klopp was able to compete on the pitch against the likes of Manchester City despite the financial gulf between the sides.

The legendary German manager famously spoke on Liverpool’s inability to match the monetary might of state-owned teams, a claim that is sure to be mocked by commentators following this summer’s outlay, but given that the club do not benefit from direct investment from their owners as rivals do, the former boss’ words should be viewed with nuance.

Liverpool’s chief financial officer, Jenny Beacham, stated back in February that ‘operating a financially sustainable club continues to be our priority’, and one way in which Liverpool have maintained that stability despite the ever-growing numbers in football is by operating under a strategy akin to a sell-to-buy policy.

This approach arguably limited Klopp’s chances of winning more than one Premier League and Champions League title, as the boss had to contend with gaps in the squad on numerous occasions, including in 2020-21 when an injury crisis in defence saw Jordan Henderson and Fabinho deputise at centre-back, before Rhys Williams and Nat Phillips took over.

Under Slot, the Reds only made one signing in 2024-25, bringing in Federico Chiesa on a cut-price deal from Juventus, and the manager proved his credentials by winning the league at the first time of asking with a squad assembled by his predecessor.

Liverpool raising money through Diaz, Nunez, Elliott transfers
One of the most prominent examples of Fenway Sports Group’s self-sustaining model occurred in 2018, when the £146m sale of the Merseysiders’ standout player, Philippe Coutinho, funded the transfers of now-captain Virgil van Dijk and shot-stopper Alisson Becker.

Considering the transformative nature of their signings, as well as the astronomical fee received, many have joked that the enormous 2025 summer budget has resulted from the Coutinho deal.

That may not be exactly correct, but player sales are a huge part of the picture, with Liverpool expected to wave goodbye to a number of valuable stars deemed surplus to requirements by Slot.

For instance, Luis Diaz has been strongly linked with a big-money move to Bayern Munich, and the winger will fetch at least £60m given that the club have already rejected a £58.6m bid from the Bavarians.

Likewise, Darwin Nunez is drawing interest from Saudi Pro League clubs, and after Al-Hilal offered £70m for the number nine in January, the Reds will be hoping to earn a fee as close to that figure as possible.

Harvey Elliott could also make way for a significant sum following reports that Brighton & Hove Albion are willing to pay at least £40m for the 22 year old, while the futures of Andrew Robertson, Stefan Bajcetic and Ben Doak remain uncertain.

Liverpool have also already sold Jarrell Quansah for £30m and Caoimhin Kelleher for up to £18m with add-ons, as well as Trent Alexander-Arnold for £8.4m and cult heroes Phillips and Williams for a combined £4m.

With £54.9m in their pocket before completing deals for their more valuable stars, Liverpool could recoup at least £250m from outgoing transfers this summer, bringing even a high-end outlay that includes Wirtz, Isak, Rodrygo, Guehi and Ekitike down to a more regular net spend.

Sportsmole.co.uk