Aged just 22, there is every chance that Germany international Florian Wirtz is still several years away from the peak of his career. But it appears that any future development will not happen while he's a Manchester City player.
The German playmaker has found himself at the epicentre of a sprawling transfer battle this summer, owing to a terrific couple of years for current employers Bayer Leverkusen.
The wonderfully gifted attacking midfielder established himself as one of the most potent threats in the final third during his side's unbeaten Bundesliga title tilt last term, and despite the collective regression of Xabi Alonso’s side—which still conspired to record the joint-second best top-flight campaign in club history—Wirtz has continued to shine.
Unsurprisingly, all these factors have conjured a jostling queue of suitors, with Liverpool thought to have joined long-term suitors Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and City in the competitive race.
However, multiple reports suggest that City, recently dethroned as Premier League champions, are "100%" out of the race to sign Wirtz, pointing to the astronomical financial outlay required to get a deal done.
BBC Sport note that City were unwilling to match the steep asking price Leverkusen demanded—thought to be well in excess of £100 million ($133.7 million)—or come close to Wirtz’s salary expectations. The BBC estimate the total cost of the entire package, fee and wages combined, to be around €300 million (£252.5 million; $337 million).
Sky Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg has backed that notion, suggesting City have "100% pulled out" of the running, while reiterating Liverpool's interest. Indeed, Wirtz is said to be the “desired target” for the new Premier League champions who are “not willing to give up on him”.
City’s financial caution may be a consequence of their extensive outlay during the January transfer window, when almost £200 million ($267.3 million) was splashed on the arrival of five players in a desperate bid to improve a “really, really bad season”.
Liverpool, by contrast, didn’t spend a penny in January and committed less than £40 million ($53.4 million) to the acquisition of Federico Chiesa and Giorgi Mamardashvili last summer. Nevertheless, the Reds would have to shatter numerous club records and effectively forge an entirely new transfer strategy to match the eye-watering outlay it would reportedly take to secure Wirtz.
READ THE LATEST TRANSFER NEWS, RUMOURS FROM WORLD SOCCER
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Man City Have 'Pulled Out' of Race to Sign Florian Wirtz.
