Manchester City will reportedly go all out for a Bayer Leverkusen star as a replacement for Kevin De Bruyne.
De Bruyne’s contract with the Premier League champions expires at the end of the season and there has been no clear indication on his future in England.
Cristiano Ronaldo is said to be a huge admirer of De Bruyne and has made a personal plea to Al-Nassr’s hierarchy to try and tempt him to join the Saudi Arabian club next summer.
According to Sky Germany, City will go all out for Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz if the Belgian decides to leave.
However, Pep Guardiola’s side will face competition from Bayern Munich, whose top summer target is also the German international.
Man City will go all out for a Bayer Leverkusen star as a replacement for Kevin De Bruyne
De Bruyne’s contract with the Premier League champions expires at the end of the season
Bayern’s sporting director Max Eberl is said to have already held initial talks with Wirtz’s representatives, and the player would prefer to join them before moving abroad later in his career.
Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and PSG are also interested in the player, with Real Madrid keeping an eye on his situation.
Wirtz joined Leverkusen as a 17-year-old, and impressed right from when he stepped through the door. But his progress suffered a setback in March 2022, when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his knee.
However, under the guidance of Xabi Alonso, the attacking midfielder has not looked back since returning from the injury in early 2023.
Wirtz has become a key figure at Leverkusen, helping the club to an unbeaten domestic campaign last season as they secured the Bundesliga title and DFB-Pokal.
Man City will target Florian Wirtz next summer but face competition from Bayern Munich
Witz contributed heavily with 18 goals and 20 assists in all competitions for the German giants.
The 21-year-old has begun this season in similarly impressive fashion having scored six times in 10 matches.