According to a report by BarçaTimes, Barcelona is interested in signing German wonderkid Florian Wirtz next summer, with the La Liga champions touching base with his camp recently to register their interest in the 20-year-old attacking midfielder.
Interestingly Deco, who is now acting as the Sporting Director at Barca was formerly the agent of Wirtz and still maintains a close relationship with the player and his family.
Wirtz is considered one of the best talents in world football and has already made 77 appearances for Leverkusen despite his young age.
Often compared to former Leverkusen star Kai Havertz, Wirtz burst onto the stage in 2020/21 scoring 5 goals and assisting 5 more in the Bundesliga, but it was during the 2021/22 season that people started to really understand the talent he possessed.
Known as a technically gifted midfielder with outstanding vision and ball control, his ability to spot that final pass and his off-ball movement would make him an ideal candidate for Xavi’s system.
Wirtz scored 7 goals and added 10 assists to help Leverkusen to a third-place finish and Champions League qualification. Unfortunately, he picked up a cruciate ligament injury and there were signs he was still feeling the effect last year, scoring just 1 goal, although he did register 6 assists in just 17 Bundesliga games.
Florian Wirtz will prove to be a difficult transfer
Any team looking to sign Wirtz will have to pay a premium. Leverkusen Director Fernando Car recently confirmed that both parties were in agreement that he would stay in Germany to continue his development this year.
Wirtz also signed a contract extension last season that keeps him tied to the North Rhine-Westphalia team until 2027. If a team wants to sign him next summer, chances are it’ll cost around the €100 million mark depending on 2023/24 performance, and Wirtz showing he’s back to his best.
There will also be serious competition for his signature.
Bayern Munich have already been linked, as they are with any good young German talent. Liverpool have consistently been linked, as have Manchester City.