Man City in pole position to land Liverpool target

Manchester City will hope to end their run of four consecutive defeats across all competitions when they face Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. 

The reigning Premier League champions find themselves five points behind current leaders Liverpool, after recent defeats against both Brighton and Bournemouth.

Manager Pep Guardiola will be desperate to see his side return to winning ways on Saturday, against a Spurs side that suffered a shock 2-1 defeat at the hands of Ipswich Town prior to the international break.

City’s bid to win a record fifth consecutive English top flight title has undoubtedly been made harder in the wake of the injury suffered by influential midfielder Rodri, who will miss the remainder of the current campaign.

Off the pitch, though, it appears that City are on pole position to land one of the most highly-rated young players in Europe.

Wirtz is a crucial player for both Leverkusen and Germany

As per CaughtOffside, the Citizens are leading the race to sign Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Florian Wirtz.

The 21-year-old has already played 169 times for Leverkusen across all competitions, and he played an integral role for Xabi Alonso’s side as they won the Bundesliga title last term.

It is claimed that the Germany international has attracted interest from fellow Premier League sides Chelsea and Liverpool, as well as Spanish champions Real Madrid.

In total Wirtz has scored 48 goals and provided 52 assists for Leverkusen, and his impressive displays have attracted significant interest from elsewhere.

The German’s current contract is set to run until the end of the 2026/27 campaign, but the report suggests that his preference at present would be to join Manchester City. Bundesliga giants Bayern, meanwhile, are said to be attempting to persuade the midfielder to stay put in Germany.

The report also suggests that City could look to sing Wirtz next summer, in a deal that could cost as much as £100 million.