Manchester City are continuing to face an anxious wait over the future of manager Pep Guardiola.
Guardiola, 53, has been in charge at the Etihad Stadium since 2016 and now has a whopping six Premier League titles under his belt. Questions have continued to rise on whether the former Bayern Munich boss will remain in England.
Pep's deal at City expires at the end of the 2024/25 campaign, with names such as Ruben Amorim and Michel Herrero linked with the job. But another new candidate has now been thrown into the mix.
Xabi Alonso wants to come to Manchester City, with one vital player signing needed to sweeten the deal
According to football365, Xabi Alonso is being lined up to replace Guardiola at Manchester City, should the Spaniard choose to call time on his tenure. But the former Liverpool midfielder wants one player as a 'non-negotiable' signing already.
Florian Wirtz – Ranked at no.22 in FourFourTwo's list of the best players in the world right now – is the man touted with the required requisite in order to lead City's next golden generation. That may present something of a problem, with Arsenal said to be leading the race to sign the talented German.
Wirtz won the Bundesliga title with Bayer Leverkusen last season, scoring 11 goals whilst also registering 12 assists across the 2023/24 campaign. In terms of the next generation of talent, the 21-year-old is right at the very top.
Having kept relatively tight-lipped on his future, a move to the Premier League in the next few years doesn't seem out of the realms of possibility, with only a handful of teams like to be able to afford him.
"It seems like he has been away from the media seven times, even though he and his father said he was happy at Bayer 04," said Bayer Leverkusen chief Simon Rolfes last month.
"Everyone wants the players to identify with the club. To make a statement. When they do, people still don't believe them and speculation continues. As a player, Florian is a gift for Bayer 04 and for Germany."
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"He is a huge role model because he always concentrates on what is most important. And the most important thing is to train, play football and try to get better. He has this ambition. We support him so that he can concentrate on that.
"It is fantastic how Florian works together with his family. They want to build something in peace and quiet, and don't even think about a lot of things. At some point, Florian will take a step. But it is not yet clear when that will come."
Who is Florian Wirtz?
Florian Wirtz is an attacking midfielder who currently plays for Bayer Leverkusen in Germany. He rose to stardom under Xabi Alonso and also caught the eye with his performances at Euro 2024.
In FourFourTwo's view, Wirtz is likely to move away from the BayArena at some point in his career, with Bayern Munich looking like the most likely destination. Manchester City and Real Madrid also present attraction options.
