Florian Wirtz, who has become Bayer Leverkusen\'s top prospect after Son Heung-min, is not leaving overseas right away. He is trying to get a taste of a big club at Bayern Munich.
Sky Sports German reporter Florian Plettenberg reported on the 28th (Korean time) through his social network service (SNS) that Wirtz would like to move to Munich if Bayern Munich wants him.
The reporter said, "Currently, Wirz wants to move from Leverkusen to Munich if Munich is willing. Going abroad right now is not his first option."
He continued, “He is currently on Munich’s 2024 or 2025 recruitment list. Munich will sign him if they have the opportunity, but it depends on the situation with Thomas Müller and Jamal Musiala.”
It is reported that the transfer fee that Leverkusen demands for Birz ranges from approximately 120 million euros (approximately 170.9 billion won) to a maximum of 130 million euros (approximately 185.2 billion won).
Birz is an attacking midfielder and winger born in 2003 and is Leverkusen\'s ace. He moved from the Cologne youth team to the Leverkusen youth team in January 2020 and immediately debuted in the Bundesliga in the 2019/20 season. He debuted at the age of 17 years and 15 days, becoming the fourth youngest debutant in the Bundesliga, and has now become an indispensable ace for the team.
Birz, who played only 17 games in the 2022/23 season due to a major injury, recorded double-digit attack points for two consecutive seasons in the previous 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons. In the 2023/24 season, he has already recorded 3 goals and 5 assists in 12 games, contributing greatly to the team\'s undefeated streak and leading team.
As of the 2022/23 season, Wirz was selected as one of the three Bundesliga best players (international class) by position by German media outlet Kicker, along with Dani Olmo (Leipzig) and Julian Brandt (Dortmund). He was ranked higher than Jude Bellingham (Dortmund), Jamal Musiala (Munich), Dominic Szoboszlai (then Leipzig), Lee Jae-seong (Mainz), and Thomas Müller (Munich).
Birtz debuted quickly in the A match as well. In September 2021, at the age of 18 years, 3 months and 30 days, he made his debut in Group J of the 2022 Qatar World Cup European qualifiers against Liechtenstein and immediately scored his first attacking point with an assist in the match against Armenia. After the 2022 Qatar World Cup, his name continues to be on the national team list without any changes.
As he performed well in Germany, many other big European clubs showed interest. Manchester City showed interest in Wirtz two seasons ago, as did Barcelona and Manchester United.
However, as mentioned earlier, as Wirtz did not prefer to move abroad immediately, an opportunity arose for Germany\'s most prestigious team, Munich.
Munich currently has Musiala, an attacking midfielder of the same age, developing in the same position as Wirtz. He took a leap forward as a starting attacking midfielder this season under coach Thomas Tuchel. With the emergence of Harry Kane at the forefront, he is improving not only his attacking talent but also his creative passing ability.
Müller, who is like a soccer expert here, is still in Munich. He recently revealed that he wants to renew his contract until 2025 and is currently negotiating with the club. There may not be a position for Wirtz right now.
There is a possibility for Birz to coexist with Musiala, but since Musiala\'s contract ends in 2025, Musiala\'s future plans are also expected to be a variable in Birz\'s transfer.