Barcelona and Real Madrid locked in battle for Bundesliga wonderkid

Jacque Talbot

• 25 Feb 2023 15:30 GMT
• 3 min read

Real Madrid and Barcelona are monitoring Florian Wirtz ahead of the summer window.

The two La Liga giants face competition from Bayern Munich, who are also closely looking at a possible move.

The Bayer Leverkusen attacker, who had been out with a lengthy layoff after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament, has come back into the fold and picked off right where he left off, being one of the brightest young prospects in the Bundesliga.

Fabrizio Romano has reported that Real Madrid are among a number of elite sides who see the Geman as a target.

The reporter suggests that Wirtz is seen as an alternative should they fail to bring in Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund in the summer.

Bayern, meanwhile, have Jamal Musiala in a similar position and may look to bolster other positions with their kitty.

The Blaugrana continue to face economic uncertainty and that therefore means that they may not have the financial leverage to pull off a deal for the youngster whose contract runs with Bayer until 2027.

Wirtz has played eight games since his return from injury - netting two goals and providing four assists in that time.

The youngster spoke in 2021 about how his dream was to play at Barcelona at some stage.

“I always want to be the best. As a kid, I dreamt of playing for Barcelona. That has not changed, but it can wait.”

Wirtz enjoying Alonso's reign

However, Wirtz appears to be very much enjoying life with Bayer under their new coach. He touched on working with Xabi Alonso to Bundesliga.com.

He said: “He is certainly someone I respect very much. Both because he is the coach and also because of what he achieved in his playing career.

2="Of course it’s the same level of respect as with any other coach, but you know that he is a coach who has been in your position in the past. And who is able to give good advice based on his own experience. So we have a good relationship.”