Man City PULL OUT of Florian Wirtz transfer race in boost to Liverpool after learning staggering cost in fee and wages
MANCHESTER CITY have pulled out of the race to sign Florian Wirtz, reports suggest.
City had been eyeing a potential deal for the German to make him the successor to Kevin de Bruyne, who is leaving the Etihad when his contract expires this summer.
However, Pep Guardiola's men have pulled out of the race to sign the Bayer Leverkusen ace after they discovered a deal could cost them a total of £252million.
That figure - equivalent to 300m euros - is inclusive of transfer fees and wages which would make it the biggest deal in City's history.
Wirtz, 22, has scored 16 goals and added 15 assists across all competitions for Xabi Alonso's Bayer this season and is widely regarded as one of the leading talents in European football.
According to the , City are said to be concerned that the deal is "over-inflated" and therefore does not represent value for money.
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The move by the beaten FA Cup finalists leaves Premier League champions Liverpool and Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich as the front-runners to land Wirtz.
City have a history of pulling out of deals they deem to be above market value.
They famously pulled out of the race to land England captain Harry Kane from Tottenham in 2022 before going on to sign Erling Haaland.
City had also wanted to get their hands on the likes of Jorginho, Fred and Frenkie de Jong for their midfield before landing Ballon d'Or winner Rodri in 2019.
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Likewise, Ruben Dias was signed instead of Harry Maguire of Kalidou Koulibaly.
In terms of alternatives to Wirtz, both Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers and AC Milan's Tijjani Reijnders have been linked.
Liverpool's own chase for Wirtz comes after they have already been linked with stunning swoops for team-mate Jeremie Frimpong and Bournemouth's Milos Kerkez to overhaul their full-back options.
