Manchester City are reportedly leading Real Madrid, Liverpool and Bayern Munich in the race to sign Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz.
The 21-year-old attacking midfielder is widely regarded as one of the brightest young talents in Europe and has developed into an integral first-team player at Leverkusen under head coach Xabi Alonso.
Wirtz has already made a total of 169 senior appearances for Leverkusen across all competitions, scoring 48 goals and registering 52 assists.
The Germany international was named 2023-24 Bundesliga Player of the Season after recording 11 goals and 12 assists in 32 league matches to help Leverkusen with their first-ever German top-flight title and go the entire campaign unbeaten.
Wirtz has since chipped in with seven goals and two assists in 17 appearances so far this season, and he has subsequently been linked with a host of Europe's top clubs.
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Leverkusen star Wirtz is in demand
A recent report claimed that Bayern Munich have a strong interest in signing Wirtz and could include Leverkusen-linked Paul Wanner in a swap deal in order to secure the services of the German.
However, it is understood that Leverkusen would prefer to sell Wirtz to either Real Madrid or Man City if he were to leave, as they are determined to prevent the midfielder from joining their Bundesliga rivals.
Liverpool have also been credited with an interest in Wirtz, but the Reds, Real Madrid and Bayern appear to have fallen behind in the race for his signature.
According to CaughtOffside, sources with a close understanding of Wirtz's preference have now advanced that Man City are the favourites to land the midfielder.
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Man City to pip Real Madrid to Wirtz signing?
The report adds that the Citizens will hope that the lure of working under Pep Guardiola, who has allegedly agreed to sign a one-year contract extension at the Etihad Stadium, will tempt Wirtz to complete a £100m summer transfer to the Premier League champions.
It is also claimed that Real Madrid will not take any challenge in their pursuit of Wirtz lightly, especially if they decide to replace manager Carlo Ancelotti with Alonso, who has reportedly decided to leave Leverkusen at the end of the season.
Man City seem to be at the front of the queue for Wirtz's signature at present, though, and they may target the midfielder as a replacement for star playmaker Kevin De Bruyne, who is facing an uncertain future at the Etihad.
Indeed, the 33-year-old Belgian is out of contract next summer and has regularly been linked with clubs in the Saudi Pro League and MLS.
Oliver Thomas
