Why Man City have cooled interest in Wirtz

Florian Wirtz, a midfielder for Bayer Leverkusen, is one of the most sought-after players in the game, and many people thought he would make a good Kevin de Bruyne replacement at Manchester City.

However, according to BBC Sport, Pep Guardiola’s side are no longer interested in the German international because any deal would cost so much.

The 22-year-old’s signature is thought to be the biggest deal in City’s history, potentially bringing in up to 300 million euros, including transfer fees and wages.

City are concerned that the price of the deal is exaggerated despite acknowledging that Wirtz is one of the best young footballers in Europe and has been linked with Liverpool and Bayern Munich.

City have previously demonstrated that they are willing to renounce a transfer if they think a deal is ineffective.

Due to the high transfer fee before acquiring Erling Haaland for £51.2 million in 2022, they also cooled their interest in then-Tottenham striker Harry Kane.

After previously agreeing to deals with Kalidou Koulibaly and Harry Maguire, City signed Ruben Dias in 2020.

In addition, Phil Foden’s involvement in Guardiola’s plans should be viewed as a commitment to the race to land Wirtz.

Foden has long been regarded as the long-term heir to De Bruyne, but Guardiola’s replacement may have been replaced by Wirtz, who is an Englishman.