Wirtz sets his priorities: Real Madrid above Manchester City?
Bayer Leverkusen’s talented player, Florian Wirtz, has established his preferences for a possible transfer in the summer. According to reports, the offensive midfielder would be more inclined to join Real Madrid instead of Manchester City.
Meanwhile, Manchester United is showing interest in RB Leipzig and Netherlands national team attacking midfielder Xavi Simons.
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Florian Wirtz celebrated winning the Bundesliga title with Bayer Leverkusen last season. (Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Rumors of the Moment
Florian Wirtz’s possible departure from Bayer Leverkusen would attract the interest of several clubs, as long as they can meet his financial demands. According to Bild, the player’s priorities revolve around the possibility of winning the Champions League and the Ballon d’Or. Leverkusen hopes that the 21-year-old player will stay for one more season and extend his contract until 2028, with a release clause of 125 million euros that could be activated in 2026. If not, the Bundesliga club would seek 150 million euros this summer. The priority of the German international would be: 1) Real Madrid, 2) Manchester City, 3) Bayern Munich. It is reported that Pep Guardiola has already met with Wirtz, but if Xabi Alonso, current coach of Leverkusen, takes over Real Madrid, this could be decisive.
Manchester United has plans to sign RB Leipzig’s attacking midfielder, Xavi Simons, according to the Daily Mail. The “Red Devils” are competing with Liverpool and Manchester City for the 21-year-old player’s signature in the summer, and to achieve this, they must secure Champions League qualification by winning the Europa League. Simons, who has contributed 14 goals in 21 matches in the Bundesliga season, is considered an ideal fit for coach Ruben Amorim’s system.
Barcelona’s priority is to sign Bayer Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah, according to Diario Sport. The “Blaugranas” will focus on reinforcing their defense after the good performance of their attacking line, and the 29-year-old German international tops their list as a player who could arrive on a free transfer. Tah has only two months left on his contract at the BayArena, and previous reports indicate that he plans to leave at the end of the Bundesliga season.
Benfica is working to repatriate two former academy stars, according to reports. First, they contacted Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva to gauge his possible transfer in the summer, according to The Times. The 30-year-old only played three games with the first team before leaving for AS Monaco, and then City. Benfica would not be able to afford the 50 million euro release clause in his contract. However, Silva’s contract expires in the summer of 2026, so Benfica hopes that a lower transfer fee can be agreed. Meanwhile, Benfica is also working to convince João Félix to return before the FIFA Club World Cup, according to Record. The Portuguese forward joined AC Milan on loan from Chelsea in the winter market, but has failed to stand out. The Portuguese team tried twice to sign Félix, who is under contract with Chelsea until June 2031, in previous transfer windows without success.
Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka wants to stay at the Allianz Arena this summer despite interest from Manchester United, according to Bild. The “Red Devils” remain interested in the 30-year-old, but having gained more minutes under coach Vincent Kompany, recent reports indicate that he is likely to see out his contract, which expires in 2026. He has played 35 games in all competitions this season.
Expert Analysis
Alex Kirkland from ESPN analyzes the possible arrival of Florian Wirtz to Real Madrid:
ESPN reported last November that Florian Wirtz was one of the players Real Madrid was monitoring, with the intention of signing the Bayer Leverkusen playmaker this summer. Madrid is a big admirer of Wirtz. At 21, he fits the age profile of the type of player they are willing to spend big on, like Jude Bellingham, and he is already an elite player, with plenty of room to grow. Madrid’s midfield has been a major problem this season. Toni Kroos retired, Luka Modric is 39, and although players like Fede Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni have many outstanding attributes, none of them have been able to successfully unite the team, controlling the pace of the game and linking defense and attack. Madrid began to closely observe Wirtz in 2023-24, were impressed with what they saw and were eager to see how he would perform at Leverkusen in the Champions League. He has scored nine goals in 26 Bundesliga appearances this season, and managed six impressive goals in nine Champions League matches. Wirtz’s price could be a problem, and Madrid has other matters to attend to this summer. They will have to commit a substantial amount of money to Trent Alexander-Arnold’s salary package and registration fee, even though he arrives for free, and they would also like to sign a young center-back. But the signing of Bellingham in 2023 showed that, for the right player, the best, Madrid is willing and able to spend big, even if they prefer to avoid it by encouraging targets to fulfill their contracts and sign for free. The only question is whether Madrid has been sufficiently impressed with Wirtz’s development this season to justify such spending.
Alex Kirkland, ESPN
Other Rumors
- Fiorentina, from Serie A, is interested in signing Thomas Müller, who will leave Bayern Munich as a free agent in the summer. However, MLS club LAFC appears to be the most likely destination for the 35-year-old midfielder. He has also been linked with Internacional, San Diego FC, and FC Cincinnati. (Bild)
- Juventus will offer Douglas Luiz to Newcastle United in an attempt to bring Sandro Tonali back to Serie A. Tonali is valued at 70 million euros by the “Magpies”, while Luiz is valued at 30 million euros as part of the deal. (Calciomercato)
- Borussia Dortmund striker Serhou Guirassy, who scored a hat-trick against Barcelona on Tuesday, has a release clause of 70 million euros. Arsenal, Bayern Munich, and Chelsea have been linked with the Guinean international in the past. (Bild)
- There is no chance of Antoine Griezmann leaving Atlético de Madrid this summer, as the 34-year-old player reached an agreement for a new contract until 2027. (Relevo)
- Juventus is preparing a permanent signing of Chelsea defender Renato Veiga. The “bianconeri” want to close the deal for the 21-year-old player quickly and include him in their squad for the FIFA Club World Cup. Veiga is on loan from Chelsea until the end of the season. (Calciomercato)
- Zion Suzuki of Parma, Diogo Costa of FC Porto, Bart Verbruggen of Brighton, and Mike Maignan of AC Milan are on the list of goalkeepers who could replace André Onana this summer. (The i Paper)
- Bayern Munich is interested in re-signing Kenan Yildiz from Juventus. The 19-year-old player left Bayern in the summer of 2022 when his contract expired. However, the only way Yildiz would be available is if Juve fails to qualify for the Champions League. (Tuttosport)
- Barcelona midfielder Frenkie De Jong has avoided answering questions about his future, saying: “We are in the final phase of the season, so we are not focused on [the future]. There will be time for all that.” (Marca)
- Borussia Monchengladbach defensive midfielder Julian Weigl, 29, could be one of Leeds United’s first signing targets if their return to the Premier League is confirmed. Coach Daniel Farke wants to bring in a goalkeeper, a central defender, a left-back, a midfielder, a winger, and a striker. (Daily Mail)
- RB Leipzig leads the race to sign Southampton winger Tyler Dibling. The Bundesliga club is ahead of Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur, amid plans to sign the 19-year-old in the summer, and the Saints will demand an amount “significantly lower” than the previously cited valuation of 80 million euros. (Sky Sports Deutschland)
- Wolves striker Fabio Silva is on Eintracht Frankfurt’s radar as a possible replacement for Hugo Ekitiké. (Sky Sports Deutschland)
