TBR Football can exclusively confirm that Manchester City have been handed a big boost in their pursuit of Florian Wirtz.
The Bayer Leverkusen star has long been on Manchester City’s radar and this off-season looks set to present them with their best chance to land him.
City are ready to part company with soon-to-be free agent Kevin De Bruyne at the end of the season.
Bernardo Silva, Jack Grealish and James McAtee could also follow De Bruyne out of the club.
With that in mind, Wirtz would be a much-needed acquisition for the Citizens as they continue on their squad rebuild.
Florian Wirtz representatives tell Manchester City a summer deal could be possible
TBR Football chief correspondent Graeme Bailey understands that City have received encouragement from Wirtz’s representatives regarding a potential summer move.
Hugo Viana is due to become City’s new sporting director this summer, but outgoing chief Txiki Begiristain is making sure he is not left with a complete rebuild with plans being in place.
As TBR Football previously revealed, City have done work on Belgian star Charles De Ketelaere whilst they are also big admirers of Trincao – who Viana knows well from his former club Sporting.
However, their top two attacking midfield targets entering 2025 were always Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz.
Musiala is now off the market after committing to a new deal with Bayern, whilst it was believed Wirtz was looking likely to stay at Bayer Leverkusen for another season.
However, sources have told TBR Football that in recent weeks it has emerged that a move could very well be in the offing.
Bayer want to tie Wirtz down to a new deal and were close to agreeing terms at the turn of the year, but as yet an agreement has now been reached.
We are told that City and Bayern – who are also looking to land Wirtz – have been informed that a deal could now be possible.
Both clubs have maintained conversations with Wirtz’s people and we can confirm those talks have stepped up in recent weeks.
To land Wirtz, City might have to get close to the £100million club-record fee they spent on Grealish several years ago.
Indeed, should City push through a deal for Wirtz and also continue their pursuit of right-back Jeremie Frimpong – they could hand Leverkusen close to £150million to land the pair.
What Florian Wirtz could bring to Manchester City
At just 21 years of age, Wirtz has made a name for himself as one of the best midfielders in world football.
He is closing in on 200 competitive appearances for Leverkusen and has registered 56 goals and 63 assists for his club.
Wirtz has also won 29 caps for Germany, with 13 goal contributions to his name already.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists | Minutes | |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 191 | 56 | 63 | 13.847′ |
| Germany | 29 | 6 | 7 | 1.551′ |
Wirtz has been compared to Phil Foden by Premier League legend Mark Schwarzer due to being similarly “dynamic” and “elegant.”
Meanwhile, former Bayer Leverkusen and Germany striker Patrick Helmes has hailed Wirtz as “probably the best midfielder in the world”, as per Goal.com.
