Adidas want Bundesliga star to join Real Madrid in 2025 - Reports
Adidas, who is the main sponsor of Bayer Leverkusen attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz, reportedly wants him to join Real Madrid in 2025.
This comes as a part of the apparel giants' long-standing relationship with Real Madrid, as Adidas has seemingly influenced player transfers to the Santiago Bernabeu in the past. According to Bild (via AS), Adidas also had some say in Jude Bellingham's move from Borussia Dortmund to the Spanish capital, and the brand is now pushing for Wirtz to follow suit.
Los Blancos are believed to be interested in the German international, as they look set to let go of club legends Toni Kroos and Luka Modric by 2025. Wirtz is seen as an ideal replacement, with the report from Bild claiming that the 20-year-old values winning titles over money.
Wirtz has made a huge impact at Bayer Leverkusen, helping them top the Bundesliga table by scoring eight goals and providing 16 assists in 30 games across competitions under Xabi Alonso this season.
Although he is already being scouted by other clubs, including Bayern Munich, it is believed that Wirtz plans to stay at Leverkusen until 2025. The club notably value him at a massive €130 million.
In November 2023, Wirtz's father addressed rumors about a potential move to Bayern for the midfielder, stating (via New Telegraph):
“There are no thoughts in any direction. Florian says that the season has to be played first. That’s the focus now. My gut feeling tells me: that Florian is still young. He still has a bit of development to make. Leverkusen is a good place for that.”
Kylian Mbappe's excited about move to Real Madrid: Reports
Kylian Mbappe's transfer to Real Madrid seems almost certain now, with numerous reports claiming that he has already decided to join the Spanish giants. According to ESPN (via Managing Madrid), the superstar is said to be "really excited" about moving from Paris Saint Germain to Real Madrid.
Several reports state that he can already speak Spanish quite well, thanks to his education, and it has been leading to his eventual move to the Santiago Bernabeu. Mbappe is expected to speak Spanish at his introduction at Real Madrid when he eventually makes the move, and this will likely endear him to the Los Blancos faithful.
Notably, Madrid fans have not been pleased with the French superstar in recent years after he snubbed them to extend his contract at Paris Saint-Germain. However, this time around, Mbappe has reportedly expressed his intentions to the Parisians that he will leave on a free transfer at the end of the season, thus creating buzz around his potential arrival in Madrid.