Arsenal and Liverpool could thwart Manchester City summer plans with potential £87m deal: Reports
Manchester City are reportedly after Florian Wirtz this summer, but the Bayer Leverkusen playmaker has been targeted by Arsenal and Liverpool. The Cityzens were at the forefront of the race, but a clash of interests with fellow Premier League giants could affect their intentions (via TBR Football).
Wirtz has become an attractive target for Pep Guardiola, as City look to life after Kevin De Bruyne. With the Belgian having already announced he will leave at the end of the season, the Premier League champions are hoping to find a way to fill that creative void.
They can potentially do so with one of the brightest young stars in Europe. Only 21, Wirtz has been key to Leverkusen’s Bundesliga title bid under Xabi Alonso and is worth around £87 million. City are said to be willing to smash through the £100 million mark to win the race, but others are upping the ante.
TBR Football has revealed that Bayern Munich are also in the hunt, while Arsenal and Liverpool have ramped up their interest in recent weeks. Both the Gunners and Reds are seeking to invigorate their attacking midfield trident, and Wirtz’s quality has marked him out as a compelling candidate. He has racked up 56 goals and 63 assists in 191 appearances for Leverkusen.
Real Madrid and Chelsea have also been linked, creating the potential for one of the summer transfer window’s biggest battles.
Arsenal miss their chance as Paul Scholes questions Liverpool's focus
Liverpool’s 3-2 shock defeat at Fulham on Sunday could have opened the door for Arsenal in the Premier League title race. However, the Gunners failed to beat Everton a day earlier, drawing 1-1. Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes feels Mikel Arteta’s side missed a huge opportunity to pile the pressure on the Reds, who are at the summit of the league.
The north London side's 1-1 draw at Goodison Park did not reduce the gap to eight points, but rather cut the Reds' cushion to 11. With seven matches remaining, Scholes believes the Gunners will end the season looking back in frustration at what might have happened. He said on Premier League Productions (via Just Arsenal):
"Arsenal have to be kicking themselves because this was a real opportunity, obviously with Man City not having the quality you’d expect in the title race. If they were a bit closer it could have got a bit shaky for Liverpool...
“But Liverpool are going to limp over the line, looking at today’s performance. I sense a bit of arrogance about them as if ‘you shouldn’t be able to land a finger on us today. You shouldn’t be able to beat us,’ and I think they’ve shown that in the last few weeks.”
The Gunners now face a difficult run-in, including a tie with Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League before returning to league action against Brentford. For the time being, the Reds still have the upper hand, requiring just four more victories to win the title.
