Real Madrid believe they will beat Barcelona to the signing of Florian Wirtz, if he decides to leave Bayer Leverkusen, reports say.
Wirtz is one of the most sought-after prospects in world football following an impressive 2023/24 season, helping Leverkusen record an unbeaten Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double, with their only defeat coming in the Europa League final against Atalanta. Along the way, he registered 18 goals and 20 assists in all competitions.
The 21-year-old was also one of Germany’s standout players during their run to the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 before their victory over Spain, scoring his country’s first and last goals of the tournament.
Understandably, Wirtz has been heavily linked with a move away from Leverkusen, although he is expected to stay in Germany for at least one more season.
Catalan store SPORTS reports that Barcelona would like to sign Wirtz, although considering their fragile financial situation, they realize that this will be very difficult to pull off.
As such, those at the top of the Santiago Bernabeu believe that Madrid are in a good position to replace him. The club already have a good relationship with Leverkusen, and he would be their third transfer target in the next 12 months, along with Lille’s Leny Yoro and Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies.
Leverkusen chief executive Fernando Carro has long insisted he would not entertain offers worth less than €150m for Wirtz.
In the short term, 90 min understands that Barcelona are keen to sign Wirtz’s Leverkusen side Jeremie Frimpong, but they face competition from Manchester City and Manchester United for his signature.
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