Man City ‘withdraw’ from ‘biggest’ Wirtz transfer for one key reason with two alternatives named

According to reports, Manchester City have decided to ‘withdraw’ from the race to sign Liverpool target Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen.

Wirtz has been heavily linked with a potential move to Man City in recent weeks amid claims he could replace exit-bound Kevin De Bruyne.

It has been suggested that the German international could follow Xabi Alonso in leaving Bayer Leverkusen this summer, with Man City, Liverpool and Real Madrid interested.

The 22-year-old has emerged as one of the best attacking midfielders in Europe and he’s grabbed 31 goal involvements this season in all competitions.

Wirtz has proven himself worthy of a move to an elite club, but Bayer Leverkusen are still in a strong negotiating position with his contract running until 2027.

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For the fee alone, it should cost more than £100m to sign Wirtz and there are also other payments required to complete a deal with Bayer Leverkusen.

Wirtz stands out as a dream replacement for De Bruyne, but they have proven that they are unwilling to overpay to land their preferred targets and have ‘withdrawn’ from the running to sign Leverkusen’s prized asset.

This is according to BBC Sport journalist Sami Mokbel, who claims Man City have pulled out ‘owing to the soaring costs of any deal’.

Mokbel points out that a deal for Wirtz would have ‘represented the biggest in City’s history, potentially reaching as much as 300m euros inclusive of transfer fees and wages’.

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Man City are said to be ‘concerned’ at Wirtz costing an ‘over-inflated’ price, even if he is ‘acknowledged as one of the leading young talents in European football’.

The report has also hinted at who could be used to replace De Bruyne, with an internal and external option mooted.

The report claims:

‘The decision to withdraw from the race to land Wirtz should also be viewed as a commitment to Phil Foden’s role in Guardiola’s plans. He has long been seen as the long-term heir to outgoing creator De Bruyne and the addition of Wirtz may have put the Englishman’s place in Guardiola’s plans in question.

‘But, as things stand, Wirtz is not expected to arrive. City will remain in the market for a new creative midfielder – with Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White among the options.’

Fabrizio Romano is also reporting that Man City have exited the running to land Wirtz after making “initial approaches”.

He tweeted: “Manchester City have currently left the negotiations for Florian Wirtz.

Talks were never advanced or at final stages, just initial approaches but City believe full package is too expensive, as @SamiMokbel_BBC reports. Morgan Gibbs-White remains on Man City shortlist.”