Manchester City have set their sights on Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz as they look to sign a replacement for Kevin De Bruyne.
De Bruyne has endured a difficult campaign, finding himself in and out of City's team as they endure a wretched season. The Belgian's contract expires at the end of this season and he will turn 34 in June.
His future remains up in the air, though it appears boss Pep Guardiola is searching for replacements. The reigning Premier League champions invested heavily in the January transfer window.
But Guardiola is set to be given the green light to make more big-money moves in the summer. And Wirtz has emerged as his top target, with the 21-year-old having starred in the Bundesliga.
According to the Daily Mail, Wirtz has been identified as a target by City chiefs. Wirtz starred as Leverkusen won the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double last season, following that up by registering 27 goals and assists so far this term.
The 21-year-old has long been on City’s radar and it is claimed that the club will now step up their interest. The German is valued at more than £85million, with Leverkusen keen to tie him down to a new deal.
Wirtz still has two years left to run on his current contract, with several top clubs chasing him. City are aware that they need to plan for life after De Buyne and hope that Wirtz could form a partnership with Phil Foden.
City have one of the oldest squads in the Premier League and are keen to drive the average age of the group down. It appears they face a fight to sign Wirtz though, with Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro stating his desire to keep hold of the star attacking midfielder.
“Very high and why shouldn’t they be high?" Carro said in November when asked about his hopes that Wirtz will stay. "As long as he has a contract here, as long as he feels comfortable here.
"As long as he knows that he can play top football here and has a top team and can celebrate successes, then he is happy. What I can definitely deny — one hundred percent — is that there are any guarantees or agreements that I have heard in the media.
“The thoughts of all the players, coaches, coaching staff, and management of the club are in the here and now. We have enough to do on the pitch until the end of the year. It often annoys me that there is such speculation.
"I can admit that. But the here and now is important, nobody is interested in next season at the moment and nothing has been finalized."