Ex-Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp warns 'outstanding player' Florian Wirtz will have huge target on back after £116m move from Bayer Leverkusen

Klopp was effusive in his praise of the 22-year-old, calling his compatriot an "outstanding player". However, he also called the British record fee "insane" and that the player will be "aware" of his substantial fee if he does not perfrom for his new team.

Klopp also referenced comments he made about finances in football, suggesting he would have walked away from football if €100m fees became the norm. However, the now head of global football operations at Red Bull accepted that such sums are the demands of the market, especially for a player of Wirtz's stature.

Klopp told Welt: "There's no question about it, it's an insane sum, and one that a player at Liverpool is aware of if things don't go well for two or three games.

"We all agree that we're talking about a great player here. I know I once said that I'm out if we pay 100 million euros for a player. But the world is changing. That's just the way the market is.

"He's an outstanding player who can give any club something great. Whether he'll make the reigning English champions even better remains to be seen."

The young star will join up with his new teammates in a couple of weeks, before the Reds jet off for a pre-season tour of Asia. He will be grateful to see a friendly face in Jeremie Frimpong, his ex-Leverkusen teammate also made the switch to Merseyside earlier this summer. Any help in transitioning to the Premier League should help stave off the negative responses if Wirtz does not immediately live up to his heft price tag.