Man City bid to sign explosive midfielder confirmed; Guardiola ‘willing to spend €100m’ to land 20 y/o talent
Florian Wirtz of Bayer Leverkusen is a target for Man City
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is determined to bring Florian Wirtz to the club in 2024 – and is reportedly willing to meet Bayer Leverkusen’s €100m asking price to secure the signing of the superstar at the Etihad Stadium.
The Spanish boss finally led the Cityzens to Champions League glory last season at the seventh attempt as Inter Milan were defeated 1-0 in a tightly-contested final. Having won the Treble last season, few would back against them repeating the trick a second season in a row with superstar striker Erling Haaland already making clear his wish to hold aloft the European Cup once again.
On the domestic front, City are hoping to claim a fourth successive Premier League title – a feat that has never before been done in the English game. As records continue to tumble, another crown this season would represent a sixth in seven seasons for City and Guardiola.
In an effort to keep the club on top of the pile, Guardiola is not afraid to bring in a number of quality additions where he feels it necessary. Indeed, the Blues were particularly active this summer in signing Josko Gvardiol, Matheus Nunes, Jeremy Doku and Mateo Kovacic to strengthen their ranks.
Now according to reports in Germany, City are ready to go all out to sign outstanding Bayer Leverkusen star Wirtz in 2024.
The explosive attacking midfielder has a rising reputation in the German game, honing his obvious talents under the expert tutelage of boss Xabi Alonso.
Since his debut back in 2017, just 15 days after turning 17, thus making him the club’s youngest-ever player, Wirtz has gotten better and better with each passing season.
Man City plan massive bid for Florian Wirtz
Indeed, the attacking midfielder already has three goals in six games to his name this season, while his overall tally for Bayer sits at 26 goals in 109 appearances. When his 32 assists are also taken into account, the player boasts a goal contribution better than every 1.9 appearances.
Understandably, it is easy to see why his form has already caught the attention of Liverpool, Real Madrid and Barcelona.
However, reports in Germany claim it is City who are ready to go all out for Wirtz. And while a January move probably appears unlikely, SportsBILD reckons City will go all out to secure his signing in summer 2024.
In an effort to dissuade City from making a bid, Bayer have responded by placing a prohibitive €100m (£86.5m) fee on his head.
However, it seems the asking price will not be enough to deter City with Guardiola reportedly ‘willing to spend’ the fee required to bring Wirtz to the Premier League.
Bayer sporting director Simon Rolfes, however, is keeping calm amid claims Wirtz will be the next big Bundesliga star, after Gvardiol, to move to the Etihad.
“Success always increases the chance that players will feel comfortable and want to stay longer,” he said.
“What Florian and his family do excellently: They are completely relaxed about the topic and focused on development.
“He has a wonderful environment here with family, friends and club. As a player and as a personality, he can grow at Bayer 04.”
Wirtz’s contract at Bayer is currently due to expire in 2027, meaning Bayer are currently under no pressure to sell.
However, as proven with both Doku, Gvardiol and many others before, when Guardiola and City set their minds on a particular player, few can stop them from landing their man.
And given the appeal that playing for City and Guardiola brings, the feeling in Germany is that Bayer will be unable to prevent their star man from making the move next summer.
