Bayer Leverkusen consider transfer for Manchester City playmaker as potential Florian Wirtz replacement | OneFootball

Manchester City may hold the keys to Bayer Leverkusen’s next star playmaker as the German club brace themselves for life without Florian Wirtz from next summer.

The Premier League champions have been long-linked with somewhat of an overhaul of their playing squad throughout 2025, with business beginning during the ongoing January transfer market.

There is a widespread belief within the football club that Pep Guardiola’s squad is approaching the end of its current generation, and those in decision-making positions want to give the 53-year-old chance to develop and construct a new squad in the final two years of his contract.

Among the names that some supporters have tipped to lead that charge into a new era is James McAtee, whom Manchester City worked hard to retain during the last summer market amid transfer interest from the likes of Chelsea.

However, with a clear lack of opportunities across competitions during the first-half of the ongoing season, the player has understandably grown frustrated, and a number of clubs from across Europe’s leading divisions are keen to take advantage.

According to the information of The Telegraph’s James Ducker, all of Nottingham Forest, West Ham United, Brentford and Crystal Palace from within the Premier League are ‘keeping a close eye’ on James McAtee’s situation at Manchester City.

The quartet of English top-flight sides stand alongside Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig from Germany’s Bundesliga in showing a transfer interest in McAtee, as well as iconic Italian Serie A clubs Fiorentina and Bologna.

From the side of the Manchester City Academy graduate, the report claims that the former Sheffield United loanee is ‘desperate for regular playing time’ and as such is believed to favour a move away from the club in the now-ongoing January market.

When it comes to the aforementioned Bayer Leverkusen, the Bundesliga champions could lose Florian Wirtz at the end of the season and the report suggests that McAtee is on a list of potential replacements for the Germany international.

McAtee was granted a rare opportunity to impress in Manchester City’s latest Premier League outing, and played an integral role in creating the goal that sealed all three points for Pep Guardiola’s side in a 0-2 victory over Leicester City at the King Power Stadium.

Skipping past his man on the touchline with a deft touch and control, McAtee would feed the ball into the path of Kevin De Bruyne with the ball being played onwards to Savinho, giving the Brazilian time and space to pick out a cross for Erling Haaland to head home.

Speaking after the contest, the Belgian playmaker was keen to issue praise upon the England youth international as he told reporters, “He’s got really good quality.”

The 33-year-old continued, “He’s not played much but today [vs Leicester] was important for a young player to come in and give us a bit of energy and a little bright spark. It will do good for him and us. It will maybe give Pep (Guardiola) a bit more confidence to play him.”