There will not be a single elite club in Europe that is not aware of Florian Wirtz’s talents, but the German wonderkid appears as if he has his next destination in mind already. Thriving under Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen, he looks as if he has the ability to reach the very top.
In the past, Barcelona have been linked with Wirtz, and have watched him on a number of occasions, even if their resources do not come close to what it would require to sign him. Real Madrid have been recommended Wirtz by none other than Toni Kroos. Yet Bayern Munich would loathe to see him exit the Bundesliga before he pulls on their red shirt, as Christian Falk explains.
“Florian Wirtz is currently the hottest stock on the German market. At Bayern they were very annoyed that he had extended his contract until 2027,” Falk explained in his exclusive CaughtOffside column.
“Bayern really want the player, but the new contract makes him very expensive. Leverkusen doesn’t want to sell him for less than €100m-€120m. This is also difficult for FC Bayern. A good player would have to be sold for this. If FC Bayern does not agree on a new contract with Leroy Sane, that would open a door for Wirtz in Munich.”
That kind of price tag would certainly rule Barcelona out for some time, and so will Wirtz’s preferences.
“The player would like to take the next step in the Bundesliga. This means for the Premier League clubs that he is probably not ready for them yet. Bayern would like to bring him in later so that he would be cheaper then. But if another club becomes interested in Wirtz, Bayern would have to act.”
The 20-year-old recovered from an anterior cruciate ligament injury last season, and has been in fine fettle since. With 8 goals and 15 assists in just 28 games this season, he is leading their charge for the Bundesliga title.
