Man City are prepared to break the British transfer record in order to sign Bayer Leverkusen attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz, according to reports.
The Citizens have made a brilliant start to the new Premier League season with four wins from four matches against Chelsea, Ipswich Town, West Ham and Brentford.
They play Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday in a crucial clash of two title rivals with victory for either side taking them top of the Premier League table.
Their start to the new season has been more impressive considering the amount of speculation about some of their players and Man City manager Pep Guardiola.
Guardiola’s contract expires at the end of this season and there is little sign currently that he will stay on, while players like Erling Haaland, Kevin de Bruyne, Ederson and Bernardo Silva have all been linked with exits.
They also have 115 charges hanging over them related to alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial fair play rules with points deductions and expulsion reportedly on the table if found guilty.
But Guardiola is planning for the future with Liverpool transfer target Wirtz at the top of his list of potential replacements for Silva or De Bruyne if either leave next summer.
Reports in Spain claim that Man City, Liverpool and Real Madrid are ‘in the running for the young prodigy’ at Leverkusen but the Guardiola ‘takes the lead’ in the transfer race.
Man City would be the only club ‘willing to pay’ €150m (£126m), which would be a British transfer record fee, for Wirtz with the German champions demanding that amount to let him leave next summer.
It is understood that Arne Slot has ‘one eye’ on Wirtz as the Liverpool boss reckons the Germany international ‘could be the perfect successor to Mohamed Salah’.
However, Man City are ‘confident’ they can land Wirtz with Guardiola making ‘it known to the City board that Wirtz is his priority and, after a summer in which they barely made any moves in the market, they have the necessary liquidity to undertake the operation’.
Guardiola ‘has maintained contacts with the player’s entourage’ and the ‘project appeals’ to the German with Wirtz likely to be ‘one of the main protagonists’ of the next summer window.
If Arsenal beat Man City on Sunday, Harry Redknapp is convinced that it will make them favourites to win the Premier League title despite there being another 33 matches to play.
Redknapp wrote in The Sun: “The key message for Arsenal today is a simple one: Don’t be beaten! If Mikel Arteta’s boys win against Manchester City, they will be Prem title favourites in many people’s books.
“But after three points at Tottenham and a point against Atalanta, a draw would make it a great week. I know some people say the Gunners not going for the jugular at the Etihad last season cost them the title as they fell two points short.
“But I still feel it was the defeat by Aston Villa a couple of weeks later that really did the damage. No one would be complaining about that draw at City had they put away their first-half chances against Villa.
“If Arsenal lose, a five-point gap will open up, though that’s not impossible to close — there will be plenty of time. But this is a massive game.
“It’s a huge blow for Arsenal to lose Martin Odegaard. He unlocks doors and can play killer passes.
“It looks like Kevin De Bruyne is out, too, but City have more strength in depth. Whoever comes in will be a world-class player — I’m not so sure Arsenal will cope as well in the absence of the brilliant Norwegian.
“Let’s face it, KDB was missing for half of last season yet City still ended up as champions!”
