Barcelona drop interest in 21-year-old Real Madrid linked midfielder: Reports
Barcelona have reportedly withdrawn from the race to sign Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Florian Wirtz, a target for Real Madrid. Wirtz has been a subject of interest to several European heavyweights following his meteoric rise to stardom at Bayer Leverkusen.
Real Madrid, in particular, have been eyeing the 21-year-old for quite some time while Barcelona became interested in the player of late. Florian Wirtz has been impressive for Leverkusen this season, picking up from where he left off last season.
He has scored six goals and provided one assist for Die Werkself in nine appearances across competitions this season. This perhaps explains why he is considered by top European clubs. Other clubs that are eyeing the Germany international include Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Manchester City. However, Barcelona have reportedly taken their foot off the gas in the pursuit of Wirtz.
According to German outlet SPORT BILD, Barcelona are no longer in contention to sign Florian Writz from Bayer Leverkusen. This is due to the fact that Leverkusen’s asking price of €150 million for the player is barely manageable for the Catalan club as they are financially hamstrung at the moment.
Real Madrid, however, are still keen on signing Wirtz, with reports claiming that Los Blancos are leading the race to sign the player next year. Moving to the Santiago Bernabeu could be a good decision for the Leverkusen midfielder. It will improve his standings in terms of the best young players in the world currently and provide him with a chance of winning the coveted Champions League.
While Bayern are also interested in Wirtz, the club’s former technical director, Michael Reschke, believes he will end up at Real Madrid. The Gunners are also said to be out of the running for the Leverkusen midfielder.
Florian Wirtz is a product of the Bayer Leverkusen youth team. He was promoted to the senior team in 2020 and has gone on to create a name for himself as he propelled the club to a historic double in the 2023-24 campaign. In 161 appearances for Leverkusen across competitions, he has scored 47 goals and provided 51 assists.
Barcelona and Real Madrid Legends are set to face off in November
Barcelona and Real Madrid will play in the La Liga on October 26 in what will be the second El Clasico this term and the first since the season began in earnest. The two sides had initially met in the preseason tour in the U.S., where Hansi Flick’s men came out on top with a 2-1 win.
However, after this much anticipated tie, Barcelona have revealed that another El Clasico match will take place the day before they celebrate their 125th anniversary.
Barcelona Legends will square off against Real Madrid Legends at the Khalifa Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, on November 28. The match will be played at 7 p.m. local time (6 p.m. CEST), and it will be the third meeting between the legends of the two teams. La Blaugrana won the first meeting 3-2 in 2017, while Los Blancos won the second clash with the same scoreline in 2021.