Florian Wirtz transfer news: Wanted by Man City, Real Madrid and Bayern

€150m required 

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What is next for Florian Wirtz? The reports over the last few weeks have suggested that the Bayer Leverkusen star is on the verge of joining league competitor Bayern Munich. Whether it was Bild, Sky, or several local newspapers, the path for Wirtz to join Bayern was clear. But the reality is perhaps a bit less clearcut. “I know it’s not true and it’s annoying when you read reports that aren’t true,” Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro said to RTL today. “Bayern Munich can make an offer at any time and then we have to deal with it, but at the moment we don’t have an offer from any club.” Indeed, sources have stressed to Transfermarkt that Wirtz himself hasn’t reached an agreement with any club either. Furthermore, Manchester City are still in the race, and Real Madrid—the future club of Xabi Alonso—could also still play a role. 

With all that in mind, it now seems certain that Wirtz will leave Leverkusen in the summer, right? Even that isn’t quite clear-cut. Carro stated on the weekend that the chances are 50/50 that Wirtz will stay. Director of sport Simon Rolfes was a bit more optimistic. “The chances are 60/40 that Florian will stay,” Rolfes said and added: “Florian is under contract at Bayer Leverkusen, and we are working hard to ensure that is still the case next year. But we also know that many top clubs are interested. This year isn’t the first year we had offers. That was also the case last year, but we always sensed that he felt that here was the right place for his development.” 

It isn’t surprising that Leverkusen are pushing back on reports that the Wirtz camp has reached an agreement with Bayern. After all, it would ruin their negotiation position. Although Bayern Munich would likely be able to pay the player the best package of all the clubs interested, Leverkusen are reluctant to let Wirtz go for less than €150m. An incredible amount of money that would constitute a new Bundesliga record transfer. Bayern, in turn, aren’t willing to pay that fee. Man City, in the meantime, don’t want to pay any player more than manager Pep Guardiola, which means Wirtz would earn slightly less in England than he would in the Bavarian capital. But the Abu Dhabi-owned club has identified Wirtz as the perfect Kevin De Bruyne replacement and would be willing to meet Leverkusen’s demands. 

X-Factor Real Madrid – Why does everyone want Florian Wirtz?

Then there is Real Madrid. Undoubtedly, Alonso would like to take Wirtz with him to Real Madrid. Spain is also where the player wants to go. Indeed, the family dynamic in what is quickly becoming a transfer drama is a big factor. Wirtz’s father, who also acts as the agent, is a big Bayern fan and has a good relationship with former Bayern manager and president Uli Hoeneß. The father would prefer a move to Munich, and it is because of that that club officials at the Säbener Straße believe that they are going to get Wirtz. 

The player himself would agree to a move to Munich, although probably reluctantly. Wirtz, in fact, revealed in an exclusive interview with Transfermarkt that he is close with Bayern star Jamal Musiala. Whether the same is true for Man City remains to be seen. Sources have told Transfermarkt that the player himself isn’t that interested in a move to England. One of the main issues is the long-term future of Guardiola. Although the Spaniard has pushed back on retirement rumors, there are resurfacing stories questioning Guardiola’s long-term future at Man City. Rumors that don’t exactly fill players, looking to plan for the long-term with confidence when it comes to potentially joining the Sky Blues. Despite all that, the Wirtz camp is talking to Man City, and reports of an agreement reached with Bayern are certainly exaggerated. Indeed, Leverkusen would rather sell the player to a foreign club, which could open the door for Real Madrid, especially if Rodrygo is sold. 

Why does everyone want Wirtz? That’s a simple question to answer. Together with Musiala, Wirtz is one of the most talented German footballers in at least a generation. The parallel to De Bruyne is obvious. But Wirtz’s talent is more obvious than it was with the Belgian at the same age. Indeed, Wirtz dominated German football like no player before him in the 2023/24 season when Leverkusen became the first Bundesliga club to win the title undefeated. On that run, Wirtz scored 11 goals and 12 assists in 32 games. Although Leverkusen somewhat dropped off this season, Wirtz was still highly productive, scoring ten goals and 13 assists in 30 Bundesliga games. The 22-year-old also scored six goals and one assist in nine Champions League games. And there is a sense that this is just the tip of the iceberg. This is also reflected in his market value, which stands at €140m.