FC Barcelona tracking €100 million rated attacking midfielder

FC Barcelona have made considerable strides in improving their financial situation, thanks in large part to the work of club president Joan Laporta. Only one player arrived in the senior squad with a permanent transfer fee attached, and that was Oriol Romeu for €3.4 million.

But FC Barcelona are still a huge club and if they continue to make smart decisions while shrinking their squad and wage bill, they will at one point be able to compete for some of the biggest names in world football once again.

According to a report this morning in Mundo Deportivo, they’re tracking Bayer Leverkusen attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz, whose market value has been set at €100 million by the German side.

Right now, it would be impossible for Barcelona to spend €100 million on a player, but Wirtz is just 20 years old and has a contract with Leverkusen through to June 2027.

There are no signs that the German club would entertain selling their prized asset anytime soon, with Leverkusen equal on points with Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga.

Wirtz has been a revelation under former Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso and has 3 goals and 3 assists in just 7 games. The young German midfielder is rediscovering his best form having struggled with injuries recently.

Could Barcelona actually sign a €100 million rated player?

The simplest answer to this question is not right now.

Barcelona are still in excess of their salary cap and will need to make moves to confirm the signing of Vitor Roque in January.

To conclude a deal like Florin Wirtz, they’d need to make several key sales. One of them could be Pedri, who has attracted a lot of attention from the Premier League.

Due to being in excess of the salary limit, Barca couldn’t use the entire fee gained from a key sale to fund the signing of someone like Wirtz, but it would be a start.

The more likely scenario is that Wirtz remains in Germany with Leverkusen for the next 18 months, giving Barcelona the time to continue their progress towards financial balance.

Then the player who has previously commented he’s a Barca fan could make a move to Catalonia.