Bayer Leverkusen midfielder returns to Manchester City’s transfer radar

Manchester City have once again reappeared among the potential suitors for Bayer Leverkusen’s exciting in-demand attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz.

Last summer’s transfer window was a significant few weeks for the Premier League champions’ front three in particular, as both Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez arrived at the club at the same time that Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling departed.

So far, Haaland and Alvarez have done more than enough to satisfy supporters, with the Norwegian in particular breaking records week in and week out, and currently leading the the Premier League’s Golden Boot race by a significant margin.

As for Julian Alvarez, the Argentine international has played a more reserved role so far in his Manchester City career, coming on off the bench to inject pace into the Sky Blues line-up, and scoring 12 goals so far.

Yet, Etihad Stadium officials are not be done with bolstering their forward options, as they now reopen their monitoring of Bayer Leverkusen attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz, as reported by journalist Graeme Bailey.

Manchester City interest in the German wonderkid first became common knowledge through media publications back in 2021, and while nothing has come to fruition, Etihad officials may deem his performances necessary of a significant investment in the coming months.

After joining Bayer Leverkusen from fellow Bundesliga side Koln, the 19-year-old has gone on to score 21 goals and create 28 assists for his club, including 15 contributions on the continental stage through the UEFA Europa League.

Despite making four appearances for his national team during the previous round of World Cup qualifiers, Wirtz missed out on any action in Qatar due to a knee injury which kept him out for months.

Yet, the reigning Premier League champions are not the only potential suitors, with Premier League title rivals Arsenal, as well as Tottenham, Newcastle United, Bayern Munich, and Borussia Dortmund having their eyes set on the youngster.

One club that the 19-year-old was linked to was Barcelona, yet even Wirtz himself has not heard anything from the Catalans, as he stated, “I haven’t heard anything from my father about Barcelona, and I was surprised when I read it.”

For now, there is the possibility that this will merely stay as speculation, as Bayer Leverkusen could wait some time before responding to any offers as they have Florian Wirtz under contract until 2027.