Florian Wirtz's parents fly to Manchester as City rival Bayern Munich for Leverkusen midfielder
Florian Wirtz's parents made a whistle-stop trip to Manchester as the race for the Germany midfielder steps up with Pep Guardiola's side firmly in the running.
Manchester City are targeting the Bayer Leverkusen playmaker but Bayern Munich have made the early running for the 22-year-old and Real Madrid cannot be ruled out with Xabi Alonso, the player's current manager, set to join them.
As revealed by Telegraph Sport this week, City want to add AC Milan's Tijjani Reijnders to their midfield in a major overhaul this summer, with Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White another on their radar.
But Wirtz would be seen as a natural successor to the departing Kevin De Bruyne and a potential move is expected to be one of the transfer sagas of the summer. He is represented by his parents, Hans and Karin, and there is thought to be a split in the camp about his next destination.
Hans was pictured returning to Maastricht airport in the Netherlands after a flight from Blackpool and gave no comment to a reporter.
Any move for Wirtz is expected to cost more than £100 million, given the competition for his signature and the player's reputation after winning the Bundesliga and going to the European Championship with Germany. He has two full seasons left on his contract which means he will command a huge fee.
While some German reports suggested the parents met Guardiola, it is understood that the City manager is not currently in Manchester, although they were clearly travelling on transfer business.
Guardiola is looking at rebuilding his midfield, having added central defenders in January. But he is also in the market for a right-back following Kyle Walker's departure to AC Milan in January.
City could still win the FA Cup and add silverware to their disastrous season. 'This year has been a different journey but it is part of the growth and character of the team. We have shown lately that we can deal with the pressure, we now have to secure our spot in the Champions League and win the FA Cup,' said City midfielder Mateo Kovacic.
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