According to rumors, Manchester City ‘fancy’ Liverpool-linked Bayer Leverkusen playmaker Florian Wirtz, but a January move is improbable.

Wirtz is one of the most promising players in the world, and he has been instrumental in his team’s success this season.

Leverkusen is still unblemished in the Bundesliga this season and leads Bayern Munich by four points.

Xabi Alonso brings out the best in all of his players, but Wirtz’s growth has been evident, which is even more impressive given that he was recently out with an ACL injury.

According to Transfermarkt, the 20-year-old is worth €100 million (£86.8 million) and has eight goals and 12 assists in 23 games in 2023/24.

In recent months, he has been linked with a move to the Premier League, with Liverpool appearing to be the most likely destination if a Leverkusen exodus occurs.

Manchester City, with Pep Guardiola and their financial clout, can never be ruled out.

Although the Spanish icon was unable to persuade Declan Rice or Jude Bellingham to join the club in the summer, his presence alone makes the Etihad a very appealing location for a young player of Wirtz’s caliber.

A January deal may be a game changer in the Premier League title battle, but The Athletic reports that it is exceedingly unlikely.

According to the article, a winter swoop “is considered off-limits,” with “no major movement expected at the moment.”

After declining to accept West Ham’s £100 million+ valuation of Lucas Paqueta in the summer, City have not forgotten about the Brazilian, who is still ‘on the radar’.

However, a betting probe against Paqueta has ‘put a halt’ to their chase.

As an alternative to the former Lyon playmaker, City signed Matheus Nunes from Wolves.

According to the source, Kalvin Phillips would ‘certainly’ leave the Cityzens this month.

Newcastle United and Paris Saint-Germain are apparently leading the battle to sign him, and Guardiola recently stated that if Phillips is sold, he may buy a successor, despite the fact that the player has only started four games since joining the club in 2022.

“Kalvin is a player with us, I don’t want to anticipate absolutely anything,” Pep told reporters. “Everyone is aware of his predicament.

“It depends on whether or not it occurs.” If this occurs, we will discuss it. The market in January is difficult…We still have fantastic things to play for after we make our decision.”