Arsenal, Spurs ‘do not lose track’ of Bundesliga ‘sensation’ with £74m valuation a ‘problem’ for clubs | OneFootball

Florian Wirtz is tickling the fancy of Arsenal and Tottenham.

Arsenal have joined Tottenham in the race to sign Germany and Bayer Leverkusen sensation Florian Wirtz, according to reports.

The 20-year-old is enjoying a great start to the season under Xabi Alonso, scoring five goals and providing nine assists in 14 appearances across all competitions.

Wirtz missed 43 games last year after tearing his cruciate ligament but he has managed to impressively overcome such a serious injury to help Leverkusen compete for the Bundesliga title.

The German side have started the campaign very well. They are currently first in the Bundesliga with eight wins and one draw from their opening nine encounters.

Alonso’s work is not going unnoticed with some tipping the Spanish manager to join Liverpool or Real Madrid in the next two years.

Wirtz’s influence in the No. 10 role has been a huge factor for Leverkusen, who have scored an outstanding 51 goals in 14 games in 2023/24.

TEAMtalk reported last month that Chelsea are very interested in signing the German international, who is valued at €85million (£74.1million), as per Transfermarkt.

The report says Manchester City are ‘key admirers’, Newcastle United are ‘tracking’ the player, and Arsenal and Tottenham have ‘made checks’.

A January move feels unlikely given Leverkusen’s ambitions domestically and in the Europa League, on top of the fee the German club will likely demand.

However, a summer move should not be ruled out and a recent report from Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness) says north London rivals Arsenal and Spurs are ‘in the picture’ to land Wirtz.

Both clubs ‘do not lose track’ of the player who has been ‘one of the great sensations’ of the Bundesliga this term.

The main focus of the report is on Barcelona’s interest, though it feels extremely unlikely that they will be able to afford the young attacking midfielder.

Other clubs mentioned are Man City, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich, with Leverkusen ‘unfazed’ by the level of interest.

Leverkusen will reportedly demand a fee between €80m and €100m and it is claimed that his asking price is a ‘problem’ for clubs.

It is not made clear whether or not Arsenal or Spurs can afford to meet the Bundesliga club’s valuation of Wirtz.

Arsenal signed former Bayer Leverkusen attacking midfielder Kai Havertz from Chelsea for around £60m in the summer, so might have reservations over paying such a large fee for his compatriot.

Mikel Arteta also has Fabio Vieira, Emile Smith Rowe, and Martin Odegaard in Wirtz’s position.

Spurs, meanwhile, bought James Maddison from Leicester City and the England midfielder is loving life under Ange Postecoglou.