Chelsea and Liverpool are among the front-runners in the race to sign Bayer Leverkusen wonderkid Florian Wirtz next summer, but Manchester United are out of the equation.
According to The Daily Star, Liverpool have joined Chelsea in the race to sign Bayer Leverkusen fleet-footed playmaker Florian Wirtz after the youngster snubbed Manchester United.
Wirtz has got firmly back on track to stardom in 2023 after sitting out the final few months of last year with a serious injury. Whereas the second half of last season was about him getting back up to full fitness, the new campaign has given him the chance to hit the ground running again.
So far in 2023/24, the 20-year-old has been in imperious form this season, registering six goals and nine assists in 15 games across all competitions. Overall, he has racked up 29 goals and 39 assists in 118 games since making his debut in the 2019/20 season.
Playing mainly as a No. 10, his form has caught the attention of top European clubs. Chelsea are among a host of English clubs most interested in signing Wirtz, with the German’s profile believed to fit perfectly with the Blues’ blueprint of investing big in young stars with an incredibly high ceiling, and their recruitment team also likes the versatility he offers in attacking positions.
Chelsea considered signing the Leverkusen man in the summer as part of their major squad rebuild, and although they didn’t launch an offensive in that window, they have not moved on from their interest.
Competition to sign Wirtz will be red-hot, though, with Liverpool entering the picture for the player rated at £80 million.
Jurgen Klopp is understood to be a big admirer of the Germany international and is trying to leverage his deep connections in German football to help the Reds gain an edge in the pursuit of the talented 20-year-old forward.
Klopp believes he could potentially fill the void left by Mohamed Salah should the Egyptian depart in the near future, with recent reports suggesting the 31-year-old could be tempted to leave in June if there are renewed offers from Saudi Arabia.
With Salah already in sensational form and Darwin Nunez showing signs of progression, the Reds already have a formidable attack, but adding an emerging star like Wirtz could go some way in their bid to beat Manchester City to the Premier League crown.
Manchester United have also shown an interest in Wirtz but are now out of the picture. Interestingly, the report mentions that the Red Devils were advised about Wirtz when Ralf Rangnick was at Old Trafford. However, like many of Rangnick’s targets, they never took the opportunity to sign him.
Rangnick’s exit from the club “ended any chance of United pulling off a coup”, with the youngster now believing that he has far better options on the table. It represents a huge missed opportunity for United, as Wirtz has truly lit up the Bundesliga this season, and could well be on his way to one of United’s Premier League rivals.
