Man City target Florian Wirtz leaning towards Bayern Munich move

Manchester City are preparing for life after Kevin De Bruyne, with the Belgian playmaker set to call time on a trophy-laden decade-long spell at the Etihad Stadium this summer.

De Bruyne’s contract runs out at the end of the season, and he has decided to move on from City, so the club are leaving no stone unturned as they scour the market for a suitable replacement.

City have been linked with a number of names since De Bruyne dropped the bombshell, but Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz appears to be the club’s primary target.

Unfortunately, City may have to look elsewhere, with Florian Plettenberg reporting that the German international is leaning more towards a summer move to Bayern Munich.

The Sky Germany journalist claims Bayern are ready to break the bank for Wirtz this summer and have already had several meetings with the player’s camp.

Bayern directors Uli Hoeness and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge have taken it upon themselves to get a deal for Wirtz over the line and will play a key role in negotiations with Leverkusen.

The 21-year-old still has two years left to run on his contract, but without a renewal on the horizon, Leverkusen are stuck between a rock and a hard place.

This summer might be their last chance to get a mouth-watering sum from a potential sale, but they’re reluctant to part ways with their playmaker and could risk keeping him until the summer of 2026.

The only positive for City in this scenario is that Wirtz still harbours hopes of one day moving abroad, but his family would rather he remained in Germany – thus favouring a move to Bayern.

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It could easily come down to a bidding war between both clubs but if City are going to strengthen their chances of landing Wirtz, they need to start laying the groundwork early.

Missing out on Wirtz would be a huge blow for the Cityzens, but they also have their eyes on Crystal Palace ace Eberechi Eze and Nottingham Forest lynchpin Morgan Gibbs-White.