With Lucas Paqueta (25-West Ham) seemingly out of the picture, Manchester City are looking for a new playmaker. Florian Wirz (20-Leverkusen), dubbed Germany’s “greatest ever talent,” has emerged as a target. However, Leverkusen are aiming to keep him.
Stefan Wienkowski, a journalist who specializes in Bundesliga news for the British publication The Telegraph, wrote on social networking services (SNS) on Monday (July 21), “The situation with Birz at Leverkusen hasn’t changed. The club has decided to keep him until the Euro tournament in Germany.” “Leverkusen would consider more than 100 million euros to sell Birz. It will be very difficult to sell him.”
After Kevin De Bruyne (32, Manchester City) went down with a hamstring injury, Josep Guardiola (52, Spain) made a last-minute move for a playmaker. Paqueta, the favorite to join the club, was investigated for allegedly violating sports betting regulations during the closing stages of the transfer window. They then turned their attention to Dani Olmo (25-Leipzig), but he rejected a move, saying he had no intention of leaving the club.
Desperate to find a replacement for their ace’s long-term injury, City have begun to show interest in Germany’s top talent. Enter Birz, who has been in outstanding form for Leverkusen. Along with Jamal Musa (20-Bayern Munich), he is one of the Bundesliga’s most promising young players.
Despite City’s interest, Leverkusen have no intention of selling Birz this summer. They’ve already given him the ace shirt number 10 and he’s under contract until 2027, so a move is unlikely. Wirz is also reportedly keen to develop further at Leverkusen.
European soccer transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano told British outlet CutOffside on July 21, “Man City would have to offer a really crazy amount to change Leverkusen’s position. No negotiations have taken place and Wirz is likely to stay. Leverkusen have not even set a price.”
Birz is a next-generation soccer prodigy who cooks opponents with his superior soccer 토토사이트 intelligence and creative play. Bursting onto the Bundesliga scene in 2020 at the age of 17 in a Leverkusen shirt, Birz first showed his talent shortly after his debut, scoring against goalkeeper Manuel Neuer (37-Bayern Munich).
He took over as Leverkusen’s ace in the summer of 2020 when Kai Havertz (24-Arsenal) headed to the Premier League. A cruciate ligament injury sidelined him for an extended period of time, but he has continued to excel and become one of the Bundesliga’s best midfielders. He is widely touted as Germany’s next big star, following in the footsteps of Mesut Özil (34-retired) and Thomas Muller (33-Bayern Munich).