Manchester City know Florian Wirtz is one of the players who could save their season, but in another devastating blow for manager Pep Guardiola, the Germany international is ready to extend his contract with Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen.
City’s slump continued on Sunday when they fell victim to a 2-1 derby defeat to Manchester United, meaning they have won just one of their last 11 games in all competitions.
Guardiola’s men are set to take the unprecedented step of diving into January’s transfer market to significantly improve their squad, with Wirtz one of the players that the defending Premier League champions were targeting.
As a further blow to City’s ambitions to get back to their best, Leverkusen are ready to close this prospect quickly. Kicker reports that B04 are doing everything they can to extend Wirtz’s contract, which expires in 2027, so that he can spend at least one more year at the club.
“Almost all the signs indicate that this is happening,” reports the German source.
Wirtz, often linked with Bayern Munich or Manchester City, has an asking price of €150 million plus a salary requirement in the region of €20 million per year – figures large enough to significantly reduce the number of suitors.
Leverkusen can fund the salary with the Champions League, which has already secured around €66 million in additional income for the German champions.
He has 11 goals and five assists across all competitions for Leverkusen this season, most recently against Augsburg on Saturday and he has shone in his first Champions League season, scoring five out of six.
Kicker describes him as a “total package of football genius and hard-working mentality”, which is why he is so highly desired by Manchester City and Pep Guardiola.
