Chelsea are reportedly the Premier League club most interested in signing Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz. Manchester City are also said to be keeping an eye on the Germany ace who doesn’t turn 21 until next May.
Wirtz has established himself as one of the most exciting young talents in European football in recent seasons. He has flourished under Xabi Alonso after returning from an anterior cruciate knee ligament injury last year.
He first made his debut for Leverkusen at the age of 17 and became the club’s youngest-ever player to play in the league. The attacking midfielder broke the record previously held by ex-Chelsea star Kai Havertz.
Havertz’s departure to Chelsea in 2020 saw Wirtz gain a more prominent role in the Leverkusen side. And it appears Wirtz could now be following the same path as his fellow German.
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A report from TeamTalk claims Chelsea are one of five Premier League clubs who admire Wirtz. The Blues are said to be the most interested out of the English sides.
City are also said to be hugely impressed by Wirtz’s progression in recent seasons, with Newcastle also tracking his performances. Arsenal and Tottenham are said to have scouted Wirtz, while Bayern Munich and Barcelona are also interested.
But it currently appears that Chelsea are further down the line with their interest. It is claimed the Stamford Bridge club considered making a move in the recent summer window.
The report says a January switch would be unlikely but the idea of him leaving Leverkusen at the end of this season is realistic. Wirtz has had a fine start to the campaign with four goals and eight assists across 12 appearances in the Bundesliga and Europa League.
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Wirtz has already made 116 appearances for Leverkusen since his debut in May 2020. That tally would have been more but for the serious knee injury which kept him out for nine months in 2022.
Chelsea again spent big in the summer to take their spending under Todd Boehly to over £1billion in just three windows. But the squad overhaul is yet to prove fruitful for Mauricio Pochettino.
Pochettino’s side currently sit 11th in the Premier League table, with four defeats from their opening 10 games. Boehly is likely to use every window to make the necessary squad improvements and Wirtz could be a player they look to bring in next year.
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