Manchester City could yet hand Liverpool another major advantage in the pursuit of Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz.
Liverpool has emerged as a potential destination for the German international over the past week or so, and it is keen on the player who might be open to a Premier League move.
Bayern Munich has long been seen as the frontrunner to secure his services, while there are rumors that Wirtz may choose to remain at BayArena for another season. However, Liverpool’s chances of landing the 22-year-old received a boost on Monday when its English rival City decided to take a step back.
Pep Guardiola’s team had been viewed as serious contenders alongside Bayern in their hunt for a long-term successor to Kevin De Bruyne, but a move to the Etihad has now been ruled out, at least for now.
This is according to the BBC, who reported that the escalating costs of a potential deal have led City to explore other options, including Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White.
City’s exit from the race essentially gives Liverpool an unobstructed path to Wirtz if he decides he’s ready to take on the challenge in England.
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However, recent reports suggest City could further enhance Liverpool’s chances of securing Wirtz – by selling Leverkusen his potential replacement.
James McAtee, 22, has two years left on his contract at City and is widely expected to depart this summer, particularly after being omitted from Guardiola’s squad for the FA Cup final at the weekend.
Sky Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg reports that McAtee has received several enquiries from Bundesliga clubs, with Leverkusen believed to be interested in signing him.
While their current priority is finding a new manager to replace Xabi Alonso, who is heading to Real Madrid – and this appointment will likely influence incoming transfers – McAtee remains firmly on their radar.
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Given that McAtee is an attacking midfielder who operates in a similar role to Wirtz, it’s reasonable to assume he would be considered as a replacement should Leverkusen’s star player move on.
However, Premier League clubs are also keeping an eye on McAtee’s situation, so Leverkusen could face tough competition for his signature.
Liverpool.com says: That would be an intriguing development if McAtee was to make the move to Leverkusen, and would make City’s decision to pull out of the race for Wirtz all the more confusing. Not that Liverpool will care if it boosts its chances of signing the German international.
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can read the original story in the Liverpool ECHO by clicking here.
