Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz has set out his priorities for a summer transfer and would join Real Madrid over Manchester City, while Manchester United are keen on RB Leipzig and Netherlands international attacking midfielder Xavi Simons. Join us for the latest transfer news, rumors, and gossip from around the globe.
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TRENDING RUMORS
– When Florian Wirtz decides to move on from Bayer Leverkusen there will a host of clubs interested — well, those who can afford him. Bild has set out the player’s priorities, centered around his chances of winning the Champions League and Ballon d’Or. Leverkusen hope that the 21-year-old will stay for one more season, and extend his contract to 2028 with a release clause of €125 million which can be triggered in 2026. If not, the Bundesliga club will seek €150m this summer. The Germany international’s transfer priority would be 1) Real Madrid, 2) Manchester City, 3) Bayern Munich. Pep Guardiola is reported to have already met with Wirtz, but if Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso takes over at the Bernabeu that could seal it.
– Manchester United have drawn up plans to sign RB Leipzig attacking midfielder Xavi Simons, reports the Daily Mail. The Red Devils must beat Liverpool and Manchester City to the 21-year-old’s signature in the summer, and to do so they must secure qualification to the Champions League — by winning the Europa League. Simons, who has contributed to 14 goals in 21 matches in the Bundesliga season, is seen as an ideal fit for manager Ruben Amorim’s system.
– Chicago Fire have made an approach to sign Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne on a free transfer, reports Fabrizio Romano. The 33-year-old will “assess all options” in the coming days and weeks, having also reportedly fielded offers from Saudi Arabia as well. According to Romano, Chicago Fire are showing strong interest in De Bruyne and hope that their project can convince him to make the switch over to the MLS. The Belgium international is set to leave Manchester City this summer after a decade at the club, where he has racked up 192 goal contributions in 282 Premier League games to date.
– Benfica are working on bringing back two former academy stars, according to reports. First, they have contacted Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva to sound him out about a summer move, according to The Times. The 30-year-old made only three first-team appearances before leaving for AS Monaco, then moving onto City. Benfica wouldn’t be able to afford the €50m release clause in his contract. However, Silva’s deal expires in the summer of 2026, so Benfica hope a lower transfer fee could be agreed. Meanwhile, Benfica are also working on convincing João Félix to return ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup, Record reports. The Portuguese forward joined AC Milan on loan from Chelsea in the winter transfer window but has failed to impress. The Portuguese outfit twice tried to sign Felix, who has a contract with Chelsea until June 2031, in recent transfer windows without success.
– Chelsea’s Moisés Caicedo is a summer target for Saudi club Al Nassr, according to The Telegraph. The 23-year-old is said to be a “dream” option for them, who would be willing to pay a club record transfer fee to sign him. The Ecuadorian cost Chelsea well over the £100m mark when he joined the West London club in 2023, and given the six years left on his current contract, the Blues would be unwilling to let him go for anything less.
EXPERT TAKE
ESPN’s Alex Kirkland on the prospect of Florian Wirtz heading to Real Madrid:
ESPN reported last November that Florian Wirtz was one of the players Real Madrid were keeping an eye on, with an eye on moving for the Bayer Leverkusen playmaker this summer.
Madrid are big fans of Wirtz. At 21, he fits the age profile for the kind of player they’re willing to spend big on — think Jude Bellingham — and he’s already an elite player, with lots of room for further growth.
Madrid’s midfield has been a major issue this season. Toni Kroos retired, Luka Modric is 39, and while players like Fede Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni have plenty of outstanding attributes, none of them have been able to successfully knit the team together, controlling the game’s tempo and linking defence and attack.
Madrid began looking closely at Wirtz in 2023-24, have been impressed with what they’ve seen, and were keen to see how he’d fare for Leverkusen in the Champions League.
He’s scored nine goals in 26 Bundesliga appearances this season, and grabbed a hugely impressive six goals in nine Champions League games.
Wirtz’s price tag could be an issue, and Madrid have other business to attend to this summer. They’re going to have to commit a substantial amount of money to Trent Alexander-Arnold’s wage package and signing-on fee, even though he joins on a free transfer, and they’d also like a sign a young centre-back.
But Bellingham’s signing in 2023 showed that for the right, top player, Madrid are willing and able to spend big, even if they’d prefer to avoid doing so by encouraging targets to see out their contracts and sign on a free.
The only question is whether Madrid have been sufficiently impressed by Wirtz’s development this season to justify such an outlay.
OTHER RUMORS
– Serie A side Fiorentina are interested in a move for Thomas Müller, who will leave Bayern Munich as a free agent in the summer. However, MLS club LAFC appears to be the 35-year-old midfielder’s most likely destination. Also linked are Internacional, San Diego FC and FC Cincinnati. (Bild)
– Juventus will offer Douglas Luiz to Newcastle United in a bid to bring Sandro Tonali back to Serie A. Tonali is valued at €70m by the Magpies, with Luiz rated at €30m as part of a deal. (Calciomercato)
– Borussia Dortmund striker Serhou Guirassy, who scored a hat trick against Barcelona on Tuesday, has a release clause worth €70m. Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Chelsea have all been linked with the Guinea international in the past. (Bild)
– There’s no chance that Antoine Griezmann will leave Atletico Madrid this summer, with the 34-year-old reaching an agreement over a new contract through to 2027. (Relevo)
– A permanent move for Chelsea defender Renato Veiga is being lined up by Juventus. The Bianconeri want to get the deal for the 21-year-old done quickly and include him in their squad for the FIFA Club World Cup. Veiga is on loan from Chelsea until the end of the season. (Calciomercato)
– Parma’s Zion Suzuki, FC Porto’s Diogo Costa, Brighton’s Bart Verbruggen and AC Milan’s Mike Maignan are on the shortlist of summer goalkeeper targets who could replace Andre Onana. (The i Paper)
– Bayern Munich are interested in re-signing Kenan Yildiz from Juventus. The 19-year-old left Bayern in the summer of 2022 when his contract expired. However, the only way Yildiz would be available is if Juve fail to make it into the Champions League. (Tuttosport)
– Barcelona midfielder Frenkie De Jong has sidestepped questions about his future, saying: “We’re in the final phase of the season, so we’re not focused on [the future]. There will be time for all of that.” (Marca)
– Borussia Monchengladbach holding midfielder Julian Weigl, 29, could be one of the first transfer targets for Leeds United if and when their return to the Premier League is confirmed. Boss Daniel Farke wants to bring in a goalkeeper, a centre-back, a left-back, a midfielder, a winger and a striker. (Daily Mail)
– RB Leipzig are leading the race to sign Southampton winger Tyler Dibling. The Bundesliga club are ahead of Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur amid plans to land the 19-year-old in the summer, and the Saints will demand “significantly lower” than the previously quoted €80m valuation. (Sky Sports Deutschland)
– Wolves striker Fabio Silva is being eyed by Eintracht Frankfurt as a potential replacement for Hugo Ekitiké. (Sky Sports Deutschland)
– Barcelona are set to prioritize signing Bayer Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah. (Diario Sport)
– Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka wants to stay at the Allianz Arena this summer despite interest from Manchester United. (Bild)
– Brentford are braced for summer bids from across the Premier League for striking duo Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa. (The Standard)
– Tottenham want to keep Destiny Udogie amid interest in the left-back from top European clubs. (Sky Germany)
– Liverpool, Manchester City and Brighton have asked for information about Ecuadorian teenage star Johan Martínez, who has been dubbed the new Ousmane Dembélé. (Rudy Galetti)
– Attacking midfielder Rodrigo Mora will ink a new contract at Porto this week, which will include a €100m release clause. (Footmercato)
– AC Milan striker Luka Jović has been approached by clubs from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in recent days, who all wish to sign him on a free transfer this summer. (Nicolo Schira)
– Fortuna Düsseldorf have entered the race to sign young Jahn Regensburg defender Leopold Wurm, who is also wanted by Hannover and Hamburg. (Sky Germany)
– Leeds United want to sign West Ham United and Czechia midfielder Tomáš Souček. (Ekrem Konur)