Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz is Man City’s top target for the summer transfer window.
The German star is regarded as one of the top talents in football at present, and City view the 22-year-old as the perfect replacement for the departing Kevin De Bruyne.
Pep Guardiola has been involved in the transfer of Wirtz, which shows just how much the Spanish coach wants to bring the midfielder to the Etihad Stadium, as the legendary coach has a rule not to get fully involved in new signings and contracts.
Man City face tough competition for the Bayer Leverkusen star as Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are also in the race; therefore, if the Manchester club fail in their pursuit, James McAtee may open the door to another talented target.
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Crystal Palace want Man City’s James McAtee
McAtee faces an uncertain future at Man City heading into the summer transfer window, but it looks likely that the midfielder will depart the Manchester club.
It was reported in the print edition of the Sunday Mirror (11 May, page 64) that Leeds United are alongside Nottingham Forest, West Ham, Crystal Palace and Bayer Leverkusen in the race for the English star with a fee of around £25m thought to be enough to lure him away from Man City.
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Guardiola is keen to keep McAtee, but with that unlikely to happen, the 22-year-old could pave the way for City to land Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze, should they fail to bring Wirtz to Manchester.
Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images
Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images
Man City were keen on the England international last summer, however, Guardiola rejected the chance to sign Eze as he already had options in the positions the Eagles star likes to play in.
A deal for Eze would be an easy one to get done as the 26-year-old has a £68m release clause in his Crystal Palace contract, which would help bypass the club-to-club negotiation stage.
However, Man City could use McAtee to get that fee lowered or to make Palace comfortable by giving them a replacement, as Eze could do great things with the Manchester club under the guidance of Guardiola.
How Florian Wirtz and Eberechi Eze compare
Photo by Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Photo by Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Man City will get a close look at Eze this weekend as they prepare to face Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final, and they could not be meeting the midfielder at a worse time, as the 26-year-old has been on fire in recent weeks.
In his last seven Premier League games, Eze has produced five goals and two assists, which doesn’t include the stunner he scored against Aston Villa in the FA Cup semi-final.
Player Games Goals Assists
Eberechi Eze 40 12 11
Florian Wirtz 44 16 15
Eberechi Eze and Florian Wirtz’s 24/25 stats
Wirtz is undoubtedly the more talented of the two stars, but given that they can play in similar positions, Eze would not be a bad alternative to the German midfielder.
The Crystal Palace star has Premier League experience, has shown that he can perform on the biggest stage, and there is a lot more room for development once better players are put around him.
Guardiola would extract the maximum from the 26-year-old, and if it is not Man City, then another top Premier League club are likely to make a move for the Eagles midfielder this summer.