Florian Wirtz impressed by Pep Guardiola transfer efforts – Real Madrid and Bayern Munich updates provided | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola’s efforts to bring Florian Wirtz to the Etihad Stadium have impressed the Germany international, according to new reports.

The 21-year-old is believed to have been identified by Manchester City as the natural successor to Kevin De Bruyne under Pep Guardiola, after a decision was made to release the Belgian upon the expiry of his contract this summer.

Arguably the greatest-ever player to player for Manchester City, De Bruyne will leave behind a significant hole in the creative engine room of the four-in-a-row Premier League champions and hand incoming sporting director Hugo Viana a mammoth task in his first window.

The Portuguese director is currently working alongside Txiki Begiristain in his 12th and final season at the Etihad Stadium to plan for the next campaign, and smoothen the transition from the 60-year-old’s departure into a new era led by the now-former Sporting CP official.

And at the very forefront of the seemingly ambitious plans to get Manchester City back challenging for the biggest honours is arguably Europe’s best attacking midfielder at present, who is expected to command big-money interest this summer.

According to the information of German newspaper Kicker, Florian Wirtz is set to ‘closely monitor’ developments surrounding Bayer Leverkusen and their current head coach Xabi Alonso – who is a primary target at Real Madrid to succeed Carlo Ancelotti this summer.

It is explained that the matter of his next head coach will dictate whether he could extend his contract at the Bundesliga side, or opt to move on from the club during the upcoming summer transfer window.

Should Alonso remain in place at the BayArena, then the chances will increase of a Wirtz extension. However, should a Real Madrid move happen for Alonso, then it is revealed that the door could be opened to a Santiago Bernabeu transfer for the German midfielder.

In another staggering development, Bayern Munich are not at the top of the player’s list – according to the report – with Wirtz ‘impressed by the recruitment efforts’ of Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.

Any deal for Florian Wirtz involving Manchester City this summer would likely break the club’s transfer record for an incoming signing, currently held by wide attacking star Jack Grealish via his £100 million move from Aston Villa in 2021.

There is very little in the way of concrete insight as to how much Bayer Leverkusen could demand for Wirtz, although the existing word in some quarters is that a fee around the €150 million mark could be required.

As for alternative names that may need to be explored by City in the event of a no-go on Wirtz, the likes of RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons, Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers, and Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White have all received mentions in recent weeks.

Speaking on Rogers in particular during a recent press conference, Pep Guardiola said of the former Manchester City Academy star, “He was in the second team and trained sometimes with us. And the glimpse, we could see something like, you know, he could do it.”

Guardiola continued, “But the impact that has been at Villa has been… What a player! We had an exceptional player here, absolutely!”