Bayern Munich sporting director reacts to Florian Wirtz’s visit to Manchester City and Liverpool | OneFootball

Earlier this week, German and English media reports claimed that Florian Wirtz had made a visit to England in order to hold talks with Liverpool and Manchester City.

It was claimed that the 22-year-old attacking midfielder made a journey alongside his mother and father to the North-West of England to hold talks with the two Premier League giants, who have a shared interest in acquiring his services this summer.

One line of reporting even went as far as to say that Wirtz took a tour of Manchester City facilities whilst meeting ‘key figures’ within the football club, before make the journey back to the German/Netherlands border later in the same day.

That development came fresh off the back of a flurry of reports from German media insisting that the player and those close to him had reached a verbal agreement over a contract with Bayern Munich, starting either this summer of in 2026.

However, the visit to England – which has been confirmed by the most reliable of sources – would seemingly rule out the idea of an agreement having been reached with any club over a move in the near future.

Speaking to reporters during a media conference on Friday, Bayern Munich’s director of football Max Eberl has now offered his reaction to the information on Florian Wirtz and his parents’ venture over to England.

“What am I supposed to say about that? Florian Wirtz and his family are free to visit friends in Manchester, Liverpool or wherever, in Madrid, I don’t know,” Eberl said.

The Bayern official added, “And of course we are confronted with that because it’s said that ‘Florian Wirtz will join Bayern’ – nobody knows that. Florian Wirtz is under contract at Bayer Leverkusen for now, that is the current state of affairs.

“And all the speculation – a deal agreed, when is the signing, the medical and so on – that’s what we have to ignore because we’re doing the job, we’re doing the work and maybe know the facts a little better than speculation or any talk. Not letting this affect [our work] is the art.”

Manchester City will no doubt be continuing their own work behind-the-scenes aiming to secure one of Europe’s very best operators in the attacking midfield ranks, with Wirtz believed to be their number one target to replace Kevin De Bruyne.

There is also interest from Etihad officials in Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White, although it remains to be seen whether the Englishman is viewed as an alternative to Wirtz or a player to explore in addition to the German.

The upcoming weeks are likely to see City intensify a pursuit of AC Milan’s Tijjani Reijnders as they look to add versatility, quality, and energy into the ‘No.8’ role alongside the likes of Ilkay Gundogan and Mateo Kovacic from next season.