Manchester City appreciate Florian Wirtz, but it is Bayern Munich who are leading the race for the Bayer Leverkusen attacking midfielder, as Pep Guardiola’s stance on James McAtee is revealed.
Wirtz is one of the best playmakers in European football. The 21-year-old has been on the books of Bayer since 2020 and has established himself as one of the first names on the Bundesliga club’s teamsheet. The Germany international has scored 15 goals and got 13 assists in 39 matches in all competitions so far this season and found the back of the net 18 times and made 20 assists in 49 appearances in the 2023-24 campaign.
While Man City admire Wirtz, there is nothing advanced from the defending Premier League champions’ side.
A potential move for the Bayer star would require input from Hugo Viana, who will start his role as the Man City Director of Football only in the summer but is also working on a transition with the outgoing Txiki Bergiristain.
Bayern are really pushing to sign Wirtz in the summer transfer window, but Bayer want Wirtz to stay for at least one more season and would like the German youngster to sign a new deal. This could contain a release clause at market value, allowing Wirtz to still depart in 2026.
Leverkusen want €130m (£109.7m, $141.8m) to sell Wirtz now and Bundesliga leaders Bayern are not going to pay that much. The Bavarian giants would be looking at a deal south of €100million (£84.3m, $109m), including bonuses, similar to the package they agreed on for Harry Kane.
There have been suggestions that Man City are looking at Wirtz as a potential replacement for Kevin De Bruyne, and that may be true in the long run, but it is not yet a given that De Bruyne departs this summer.
De Bruyne’s contract is due to expire at the end of the season, so naturally, Man City are making plans for his successor, but a one-year extension for him could yet be offered.
There are three options for the Belgian star. De Bruyne could stay at Man City, he could move to the Saudi Pro League, or he could switch to Major League Soccer.
San Diego FC are interested in De Bruyne, but the MLS club already have two Designated Players and there is no guarantee that they will add a third to their roster this campaign.
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Pep Guardiola stance on James McAtee – sources
While there is interest in James McAtee from Bayer, Man City manager Pep Guardiola does not want to sanction his exit in the summer transfer window.
McAtee came through the Man City youth system and has had limited opportunities this season. The club believes that his development is on track.
However, if, like Cole Palmer did, McAtee asks to leave, then Man City will reluctantly respect his wishes as they tend to do for most players seeking a new challenge.
Man City could use Bayer’s McAtee to their advantage in the race for Wirtz, but we are not at that stage yet. And Bayern are still favourites to land his signature whether this summer on in a year’s time.
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