Bayer Leverkusen ‘taking on the fight’ with Manchester City over future of Germany star | OneFootball

Manchester City are faced with a stern challenge when it comes to their interest in Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz, as his club hold an intention to extend his contract.

The Premier League champions are likely to be bracing themselves for a huge summer transfer window in 2025, especially given the changeover in the position of Director of Football within the Etihad Stadium.

After 12 hugely successful seasons in the post, Txiki Begiristain will step down as Manchester City’s sporting director, handing over the reigns to Sporting Lisbon’s Hugo Viana – who will make the move to the north-west to be reunited in the same city as Ruben Amorim.

The 2025 summer market may also signal the end of Kevin De Bruyne’s reign as a leading figure in Manchester City’s attacking midfield, with the Belgian still out of contract at present and admitting recently that talks had been shelved as he focusses on his fitness.

One name that the Premier League champions will likely turn towards if the player becomes available is Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz, who has been excelling for both club and country over the last 24 months in particular.

According to the information of SportBILD, as translated and relayed by Sport Witness, Bayer Leverkusen are now ‘taking on the fight’ to keep Wirtz, with both Arsenal and City among those trying to lure him away from the German club.

Alongside the Premier League giants, the report mentions both Real Madrid and Bayern Munich as two further clubs positioning themselves in the race to sign Wirtz in the coming transfer markets.

However, Leverkusen have now started talks of their own with the family of Florian Wirtz, as they hope to extend his stay with the club beyond the end of his current deal in the summer of 2027.

The report claims that Bayer Leverkusen’s plan would be to extend the midfielder’s deal by one year, and should that plan not come to fruition, they would prefer to sell in 2025 due to the financial implications on a deal should the player enter into the final year of his deal.

There remains a possibility that Manchester City could enter into the transfer market in the upcoming winter window as Pep Guardiola eyes solutions to the problems that are continuing in his defensive midfield ranks.

Rodri remains sidelined for the remainder of the campaign and thus far, Manchester City have significantly struggled to source a dependable solution to the Spaniard, while Mateo Kovacic has also sustained a month-long injury absence.

The likes of Atalanta’s Ederson, Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi, and Torino’s Samuele Ricci have all been linked with Manchester City transfer interest in recent weeks, although it is yet to be clarified whether the club hold a concrete determination to sign any of those profiles.