According to CaughtOffside, Man City has jumped ahead of Liverpool in the race to sign German wonderkid Florian Wirtz from Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen. The 21-year-old is described as a "complete midfielder" in his native country and is one of the most highly sought-after players in world football.
As well as Man City and Liverpool, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, and defending Champions League title holders Real Madrid have also expressed an interest. Liverpool and Chelsea have reportedly held talks, and Real are willing to go up to $189 million to land the midfielder - but the report states that Wirtz's preference is to head to the Etihad.
And Guardiola's decision to stay put in Manchester may be one of the deciding factors in the transfer race. City may be looking at a big rebuild next summer should they miss out on defending their Premier League title this season following the campaign-ending injury to Ballon d'Or winner Rodri.
A versatile, creative midfielder is what City is looking for, with Kevin de Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan both nearing their mid-30s. Guardiola has often got the best out of the world's top talent and the demands he places on his squad are clear and have to be met.
“I’m there and they will not play,” Guardiola says in a new CITY+ documentary about the team winning four Premier League titles in a row. “They know it, it doesn’t matter [how big is] the name. If they don’t do what they have to do, they will participate less than normal.”
This season, City will be gunning for five consecutive league titles. “After the Treble, even myself, I didn’t know how we would react and how we would be,” Guardiola added. “I think with the new ones, they settle and they realise how we behave, what are our standards and what we have to do to defend it.
Florian Wirtz's preferred destination is City, according to reports
Florian Wirtz's preferred destination is City, according to reports
“You cannot imagine how much it helps to have a stable team. In the first month we were talking about trying to get points in the beginning. In the first month you cannot win the Premier League but you can lose it.”
Liverpool's concerns in the transfer market may be more focused on outgoings before looking at incomings. The Reds have three key players out of contract next summer: Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Manager Arne Slot has refused to publicly address the progression of talks with any of the three players, who'd attract widespread interest should they hit free agency.
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