The race for Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz is starting to heat up.
The midfielder is regarded as one of the brightest talents in European football and Pep Guardiola views Wirtz as the perfect replacement for Kevin De Bruyne, as the Belgian’s Man City career is set to come to an end this summer.
The Manchester club are considered one of the frontrunners for the 22-year-old, alongside Bayern Munich, but things were made more complicated this week as Liverpool entered the race for Wirtz.
Real Madrid are also up to date on the Bayer Leverkusen star’s situation, and it has been revealed when all four could learn if they have signed the midfielder or not.
Photo by Pau Barrena/Getty Images
Photo by Pau Barrena/Getty Images
Florian Wirtz to make a decision on his future next week
The race for Wirtz was always going to pick up once the Bundesliga season ended this weekend, and that seems to be the case as Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg is reporting that Bayer Leverkusen expect a decision to be made by the 22-year-old on his future next week.
“Bayer 04 Leverkusen are currently expected to demand around €150m for Florian Wirtz from all interested clubs,” Plettenberg has said in his latest update.
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“Should FC Bayern offer €100m, Leverkusen plan to reject it immediately. Leverkusen want a final decision from Wirtz next week on whether he intends to leave or stay.
“So far, Leverkusen have not received any formal written offers — neither from Bayern, Manchester City, nor Liverpool.”
🚨⚫️🔴 Bayer 04 Leverkusen are currently expected to demand around €150m for Florian #Wirtz from all interested clubs. Should FC Bayern offer €100m, Leverkusen plan to reject it immediately.
Leverkusen want a final decision from Wirtz next week on whether he intends to leave… pic.twitter.com/q8l4rQ9Xzv
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) May 16, 2025
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The biggest issue standing between Man City and Wirtz is Bayern Munich, as the German giants have a history of mopping up the best talent in the country.
Wirtz’s girlfriend is open to moving to Manchester; however, the player’s parents would prefer he remain in Germany.
If the decision is made to come to the Premier League, Man City will very likely be the midfielder’s destination, as the Manchester side are well ahead of Liverpool in the race.
Man City ahead of Liverpool in Florian Wirtz race
Both Man City and Bayern Munich have been working on the Wirtz deal for a long time, and therefore, Liverpool were at a big disadvantage when joining the race this week.
Sacha Tavolieri has now provided an update on the Reds’ interest in the German star, and it is as expected, with the reporter stating that the Merseyside club have not gone as far as Man City in trying to land the 22-year-old this summer.
The signing of Wirtz would be a big boost for Guardiola heading into the 2025/26 campaign, as the Bayer Leverkusen star is an exceptional talent.
Convincing the player to not join Bayern Munich is a big task City have on their hands, and it seems that next week will be when the Premier League side find out if they have done so successfully.