Real Madrid will reportedly face stiff competition from Bayern Munich in the race to sign 18-year-old German prodigy Florian Wirtz.
According to a report by Spanish outlet Fichajes, Real Madrid will not be the only high profile club pursuing Florian Wirtz in the summer transfer window. Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich are also closely monitoring the German prodigy’s progress, with Bayer Leverkusen likely to demand around €100 million for him.
Florian Wirtz joined Leverkusen from 1.FC Koln in January 2020 and was initially assigned to the Bundesliga club’s under-19 side. But after he showed remarkable progress in the youth setup, Die Werkself fast-tracked the teenage prodigy to the first-team squad in less than six months, with the youngster eventually succeeding Kai Havertz in the team.
2021/22 has been a memorable season for Wirtz, who has garnered a superb tally of eight goals and 12 assists in 24 appearances across all competitions. But the 18-year-old’s enormous progress might not bode well for Bayer Leverkusen, with Real Madrid and Bayern Munich hot on his trail.
The interest from Real Madrid stems from the advancing years of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos. While Wirtz has primarily essayed the no. 10 role at Bayer Leverkusen, his ability to play in various positions in attack and midfield, coupled with his young age, could help Carlo Ancelotti mould the German prodigy into a successor for Modric.
To that end, the Merengues are lining up a summer move for Wirtz and hope that their healthy relationship with Bayer Leverkusen will enable them to land him. But Real Madrid will be facing stiff competition from Bayern Munich in the race to sign the 18-year-old wonderkid.
The Bundesliga champions could lock horns with Real Madrid in pursuit of several players in the summer transfer window, with Erling Haaland also a mutual target. As for the interest in Wirtz, Bayern Munich could replace Corentin Tolisso with Wirtz in their midfield unit, although the German prodigy will essentially be Thomas Muller’s long-term successor.
Signing Wirtz will cost a bomb, though, with Bayer Leverkusen placing a €100 million price tag on him. With Erling Haaland already a big-money target for both Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, paying €100 million to sign Wirtz could prove to be a tall order. It remains to be seen if either club will be able to afford to sign the 18-year-old from Leverkusen.
