Manchester City are the “favourites” to snap up Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz next summer, according to Caught Offside.
The website claims that the Premier League champions are expected to push ahead with plans to secure a “spectacular” deal.
Wirtz is said to be likely to leave Leverkusen at the end of the season, with Xabi Alonso’s departure set to trigger an exodus from the Bundesliga side.
City are by no means the only team in contention to sign the German international but they are reportedly in a strong position to pay the £100m needed for the transfer to go ahead.
Who are City’s rivals for the player’s signature?
Real Madrid are believed to be keen on buying Wirtz and their hand could be strengthened if Alonso replaces Carlo Ancelotti as the La Liga club’s manager at the end of the season.
Bayern Munich will also be in the mix as they try to convince the 21-year-old to remain in Germany rather than move abroad.
Caught Offside report that Chelsea and Liverpool are potential suitors too but both are currently regarded as “outsiders” in the race for Wirtz.
Guardiola’s new deal should help the club’s transfer plans
The lack of certainty over the future of manager Pep Guardiola would have led potential signings to hesitate about moving to the Etihad. Players like to know who they would be working under before agreeing to a transfer.
With Guardiola set to stay, though, it will allow the Cityzens to push ahead with a future deal. Next summer could see a sizeable overhaul of the squad, especially considering the likes of Kevin De Bruyne are out of contract. The addition of Wirtz would be a massive statement of intent by the club if they can pull it off.
Find out who is in Manchester City’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here
