Man City told ‘crazy’ offer will see them beat Liverpool, Arsenal to Bundesliga dynamo
Manu Kone tackles Florian Wirtz during Gladbach vs Leverkusen
Fabrizio Romano has explained how Manchester City can beat Premier League rivals Liverpool and Arsenal to the signing of Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz, although a deal will be very hard to pull off.
City have been tipped to sign a new creative midfielder following an injury to influential star Kevin de Bruyne. The Belgian has undergone surgery on a hamstring issue and could be out for as long as four months.
Of course, City boss Pep Guardiola also has Phil Foden in his squad, and he played the England international in De Bruyne’s usual position on Saturday. Foden was arguably the best player on the pitch as City beat Newcastle United 1-0 thanks to a Julian Alvarez stunner.
Despite this, it would not be a surprise if City brought in another top star to compete with Foden, as this is the kind of squad depth needed if they are to win a host more trophies this campaign.
The Citizens were originally hoping to land Dani Olmo from RB Leipzig. But on Sunday, he publicly rejected their advances. “There’s nothing with Manchester City. I’m focused on my work at Leipzig, in the Bundesliga, the UCL and the cup. City are one of the best teams in the world, Gvardiol went there, but I’m happy here,” Olmo said.
Reports emerging from Spain soon revealed Wirtz to be an alternative target for City after the Olmo setback. It is claimed that City have already enquired about his availability, though they have been told Leverkusen do not want to sell until 2024.
If City were to end up signing the 20-year-old playmaker, then it would see Liverpool and Arsenal miss out. Earlier this year, Arsenal were revealed to be admirers of him, while Liverpool were tipped to go big with their approach as Jurgen Klopp is a huge fan of his ability.
During an interview with CaughtOffside, Romano has revealed the state of play surrounding Wirtz’s prospective move. He said: “Despite links with Manchester City and Florian Wirtz, I don’t think there are concrete chances for this deal to happen this summer honestly.
Fabrizio Romano discusses Florian Wirtz to Man City
“Only a completely crazy bid could change Bayer Leverkusen’s stance, but no negotiations are taking place at this stage and sources expect him to stay. Leverkusen aren’t even quoting a price tag at this stage.”
While Romano does not reveal how much Wirtz might cost, reports have previously claimed his price tag to be as high as £85m.
Clearly, it will be tough for City to capture the German starlet as Leverkusen hope to rely on him for at least another season. Although, City certainly have the finances to submit a ‘crazy’ offer and get Leverkusen thinking about a potential sale. Stranger things have happened in previous summer transfer windows, after all.
