Manchester City are strongly considered as contenders to secure the signing of Bayer Leverkusen’s outstanding talent, Florian Wirtz, as they face stiff competition from Bayern Munich and notable interest from Real Madrid.
Wirtz has been on City’s recruitment radar for several years, ever since he made a breakthrough into Leverkusen’s first team at the age of 17 to replace Kai Havertz following his transfer to Chelsea in 2020.
The talented midfielder faced a setback with an ACL injury in early 2022, sidelining him for ten months. However, he made a remarkable recovery, playing a pivotal role in Leverkusen’s extraordinary 2023/24 season, which included winning their first-ever Bundesliga title, the DFB Pokal, and reaching the Europa League final, their only defeat of the season coming in that final match.
Wirtz has remained a transfer target for Europe’s biggest and most ambitious clubs following another strong season in 2024/25. But City’s chances looked to have been fading as speculation mounted that he was closing in on a move to domestic giants Bayern.
But The Telegraph has reported that Wirtz’s parents, who represent him rather than an outside agent, have made a “whistle-stop in Manchester”, confirming they are still in the race. Hans Wirtz, the father, was spotted arriving at Maastricht airport off a flight from Blackpool, a quiet provincial airport an hour or so up the Lancashire coast from the far busier hub that is Manchester.
In Germany, SportBild writes that a “concrete offer” from Manchester City has landed at Leverkusen’s door. Bayern have not yet tabled their own bid but are rumoured to be preparing a €100m (£84m) proposal. Leverkusen are asking as much as €150m (£127m).
The size of the City offer has not been disclosed in the reporting, but signing Wirtz could challenge their club record transfer, which currently stands at the £100m paid for Jack Grealish in 2021.
Wirtz is viewed as the ideal replacement for Kevin De Bruyne, who is leaving the club at the end of his contract after fresh terms were not offered. City have also been linked with the likes of Nottingham Forest vice-captain Morgan Gibbs-White and Barcelona’s Dani Olmo as possible alternatives.
Pep Guardiola’s side are additionally considering central midfielders too – including AC Milan ‘number eight’ Tijjani Reijnders.
