The transfer saga merry-go-round between Manchester City, Bayern Munich, and Bayer Leverkusen for Florian Wirtz has thrown up another plot twist.
Sky France’s Sacha Tavolieri reports that Leverkusen are trying to prise the Bundesliga champions out of a deal for Wirtz, which could open the door for City to pounce.
The dazzling German playmaker is expected to leave Leverkusen this summer. The Bundesliga side have made their peace with that.
But they still want some measure of control over where he ends up. The 22-year-old is one of Europe’s most coveted young midfielders.
There are reports that City have reached a verbal agreement with Leverkusen over a transfer, but the player isn’t convinced about a move to the Etihad Stadium.
He wants to join either Bayern or Real Madrid, who are also keeping a close eye on his situation.
Wirtz might be hesitant to join City, but that hasn’t put off the Premier League giants, with Pep Guardiola reportedly spearheading the push.
The German playmaker is seen as a like-for-like replacement for Kevin De Bruyne, who is set to call time on his decade-long spell at the Etihad Stadium this summer.
With Madrid also in the mix, the race to sign Wirtz is heating up fast.
Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso has agreed to replace Carlo Ancelotti, so there’s a decent chance Wirtz could be reunited with the Spanish tactician at the Santiago Bernabeu.
However, Madrid are mulling over Wirtz’s lofty €100 million price tag.
Bayern were growing confident that they would sign Wirtz. They’re still front-runners, but that optimism is slowly fading with Leverkusen demanding €150m from their rivals.
Die Werkself are staying calm despite the intense speculation about Wirtz’s next move. He still has two years left on his contract, so Leverkusen wouldn’t mind keeping him for another year.
They’re willing to cash in this summer, but interested parties will have to match their demands, with Leverkusen unlikely to lower their asking price.
