Man City close in on Premier League’s most expensive EVER transfer as Florian Wirtz makes flying visit to Manchester
MANCHESTER CITY hope to land Florian Wirtz in a record £126million deal.
City look to beat Bayern Munich to the signature of the Bayer Leverkusen forward, 22, who made a flying visit to Manchester on Tuesday.
Wirtz, one of the hottest properties in Europe, travelled with his agent father to Manchester before returning home on Tuesday evening.
City deny reports they met with the Wirtz family to discuss any potential transfer.
But boss Guardiola has identified Wirtz as his No 1 target as he looks to rebuild his City squad and replace club legend Kevin De Bruyne, 33. who will leave at the end of his contract in June.
City's offer would smash the British transfer record, which currently stands at £115m which Chelsea paid Brighton to sign midfielder Moises Caicedo in 2023.
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Wirtz, his father Hans and mother Karin took a private jet at 10am on Tuesday from Maastricht-Aachen Airport in the Netherlands to Blackpool, according to German newspaper Bild.
They were then driven to Manchester, before flying back at 4:40pm.
Apparently, the small airport behind the German-Dutch border had been chosen to avoid attracting attention.
However Bild were able to get photos of Wirtz's mum and dad at the Dutch airport as they returned to their car.
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A reporter approached Wirtz's father Hans who shook his hand but chose to remain silent.
Wirtz has spoken to Guardiola previously but the attacker is yet to make a final decision on his future with two years still left on his current Leverkusen deal.
But his club would rather sell to City than their Bundesliga rivals.
He only last month returned from a knee injury, which saw him miss the Champions League last-16 tie with Bayern, but has still scored 16 goals and added 15 assists in 44 games this season.
Bayern, who won the Bundesliga this term after losing out to Leverkusen last season, are offering £84m for Wirtz.
The German was vital to Leverkusen’s unbeaten title triumph under Xabi Alonso in 2023-24.
City have also approached AC Milan to sign Tijjani Reijnders, 26, although they are yet to submit a bid.
Milan want around £60m for the Dutch midfielder, which would make him their biggest sale in their history.
The two clubs still have a negotiation to complete over right-back Kyle Walker, 34, who is on loan at the Serie A outfit from City for the rest of the season.
City are also interested in Nottingham Forest star Morgan-Gibbs White, 25.
However, Newcastle will fight off any City attempt to sign England star Tino Livramento.
The 22-year-old has shone since stepping up to become Toon’s first-choice right-back ahead of Kieran Trippier.
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Champions League chasing Newcastle do not need to sell any big names.
Boss Eddie Howe said: “The summer window will be a big one for us.”
