Barcelona open talks for Florian Wirtz
Over the past couple of weeks, there has been intense speculation over the future of Florian Wirtz at Leverkusen.
According to the football transfer rumours in German media, Barcelona have opened talks for Florian Wirtz.
The Germany international joined Bayer 04 Leverkusen from 1. FC Köln for a fee in the region of 200,000 euros in January 2020. His contract expires in the summer of 2027.
The midfielder has found the back of the net on two occasions and picked up six assists in 13 matches this season across various competitions.
The 19-year-old has been touted as one of the brightest young prospects in Germany. Florian Wirtz has represented Germany at Under-15, Under-16, Under-17 and Under-21 level, winning 16 caps and scoring two goals, before making his senior international debut in September 2021. As a member of Germany national football team, Wirtz won four caps.
His impressive performances this season have apparently caught the eye of some of Europe’s big clubs.
Barcelona have built a reputation for recruiting young talent from within Europe, predominantly targeting those with sell-on value and immense potential.
The Barcelona manager has kept an eye on Florian Wirtz for the last six months and he is impressed with the midfielder’s performances. Someone with Wirtz’s skillset will undoubtedly add more quality to Xavi‘s attack.
The former 1. FC Köln man will add a new dimension to Barcelona’s midfield.
According to the report, “Barcelona are in talks with Bayer Leverkusen attacker Florian Wirtz. The 19-year-old Bayer Leverkusen star is one of the biggest talents on the continent and according to Sky Sport Germany, the first contact has already been made. There has already been a call from Barca to the player’s father to find out about his situation. With a contract until 2027, the club will have to negotiate an exit for him and that will not be easy, since there are also other big European clubs after him. Despite this, Barça have an important advantage in that on several occasions, Wirtz has explained his feelings for the club. In an interview for Bild last year, the German said: “When I was a kid I always wanted to play for Barcelona. That hasn’t changed, but I still have some time before that can happen.” It’s suggested Barca will watch Wirtz next season with the aim of signing him for 2024.”
Euro Football Rumours
Bayer Leverkusen feel under no pressure to sell and will “demand a significant fee” before letting him go.
LaLiga giants will have to present a really enticing offer to bring Bayer Leverkusen to the negotiating table. They have the resources to tempt them but it will be interesting to see if they are willing to overpay for the player.
Good signing for Barcelona?
It is smart from the club to invest in younger players, rather than splashing out big money on experienced players with no resale value.
Of course, the 19-year-old is not going to become a regular for Barcelona straightaway, but working under Xavi would make him a better player.
It will be interesting to see if Barcelona make their move for the 19-year-old in the coming summer.
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Bologna-born Giuseppe Bianchi has spent more than a decade living in Rome and writing about Italian football, Spanish football and the Premier League for various Italian football portals and now he writes about European football for Euro Football Rumours. He's been thinking about football transfers pretty much nonstop since the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. Aside from writing, he likes to spend his time fishing and rock climbing.
