Bayern Munich take significant leap towards beating Manchester City to Florian Wirtz signing | OneFootball

Manchester City and Real Madrid may have now slipped behind Bayern Munich in the intensifying chase for Bayer Leverkusen and Germany’s Florian Wirtz.

The four-in-a-row Premier League champions are believed to have identified the Germany international as their leading candidate to become the long-term replacement for Kevin De Bruyne at the Etihad Stadium.

With his contract expiring at the end of the ongoing season, a sit-down meeting between the Belgian and Manchester City officials resulted in the 33-year-old not being offered a new deal, and as such enabling the playmaker to join a new club on a free transfer this summer.

De Bruyne’s exit will bring an end to an illustrious 10-year stay at Manchester City winning every trophy available to him and his teammates while also establishing himself as arguably the greatest-ever player to wear the Sky Blue of the Etihad Stadium club.

But despite the lure of taking on such a prominent role in Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City set-up from the start of next season, there is no certainty that Etihad bosses will secure their go-to name in the coming weeks and months.

According to the information of FootMercato’s Santi Aouna, a contractual agreement has now been reached between Florian Wirtz and Bayern Munich, although there is yet to be any common ground reached involving Bayer Leverkusen.

While the development is no doubt a step forward for the Allianz Arena club, the report insists that both Manchester City and Real Madrid are still trying to convince the player, while his current club are holding on to hope of a contract extension.

Wirtz is unlikely to have made a final decision on his future and the demands of Bayer Leverkusen could yet act as a barrier to Bayern Munich when holding discussions over the finances of a move.

It also remains to be seen how the managerial future of Xabi Alonso could affect the midfielder’s thinking, with the successful Spanish coach expected by many sources to become the new Real Madrid manager amid Carlo Ancelotti’s pending exit.

Ultimately, Manchester City will likely have the greatest spending power of their competitors for the player’s signature particularly following De Bruyne’s exit and the freeing up of wages, while their project as a whole is expected to be enticing to many stars this summer.