Fabrizio Romano provides Florian Wirtz update as Manchester City and Pep Guardiola seek Kevin De Bruyne heir | OneFootball

Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has provided an update on Florian Wirtz’s contract situation at Bayer Leverkusen amid interest from Manchester City.

Wirtz has been identified as Manchester City’s priority summer signing to bolster their attacking ranks, with Real Madrid and Bayern Munich also interested in the 21-year-old Germany international.

City sold Julian Alvarez for £82 million last summer and following the sales of Cole Palmer and Riyad Mahrez the year before, Pep Guardiola’s side have often struggled for creative inspiration during a period Kevin De Bruyne has struggled with recurring hamstring injuries.

Phil Foden has been far from his best this season and has given honest verdicts on a sub-par campaign for him personally in a few interviews, though this is likely a case of physical burnout, mental exhaustion and an inevitable drop-off after starring in his 2023-24 PFA Player’s Player of the Year season.

City are desperate for reinforcements in midfield and with the likes of Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva past their prime, the Blues need fresh blood in the middle of the park to challenge on all fronts after coming up short in the Premier League and UEFA Champions League this season.

Several reports have detailed how highly Florian Wirtz is rated amongst officials at the Etihad Stadium and with Hugo Viana having started work ahead of his takeover as sporting director from Hugo Viana at the end of the transfer window, there is quite a lot of work to be done.

Wirtz has two years remaining on his current with Bayer Leverkusen, who won the Bundesliga under Xabi Alonso last season and are highly keen to keep hold of their best player amid interest from a long list of suitor clubs.

As outlined by transfer insider Fabrizio Romano in a recent episode of the Here We Go Podcast, Wirtz remains Manchester City’s top target to replace Kevin De Bruyne in the upcoming transfer window.

However, it is not certain the German will leave Leverkusen at the end of the season after being given a contract extension proposal by the reigning Bundesliga champions, which would include a release clause that can be activated after the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

It is worth mentioning should Wirtz and his camp – led by his father – refuse to sign a new deal, this would be the ideal time for Leverkusen to cash in on their most prized asset and recoup a significant fee given the wide-ranging interest in their attacking midfielder.