Chelsea and Real Madrid could go head-to-head for the signature of Bayer Leverkusen’s teenage star Florian Wirtz, according to reports.
The Germany international has enjoyed a sensational start to the season for club and country.
Wirtz was a regular for Leverkusen last term but he has taken his game to another level in the early months of 2021/22.
The 18-year-old has scored four goals and provided six assists in just nine Bundesliga outings this season.
He has caught the eye in the Europa League too, finding the back of the net three times to help put Leverkusen on the brink of the knockout stage.
Wirtz made his debut for Die Mannschaft’s senior side in September and is well on his way to securing a spot in the Germany World Cup 2022 squad.
His form has not gone unnoticed further afield, with several European clubs said to be keeping tabs on the attacking midfielder.
According to El Nacional, Chelsea are ready to rival Real Madrid for the teenager’s signature.
The report claims that the Blues have been closely tracking Wirtz for some time now and have shown more interest in him than other English clubs.
Chelsea signed Kai Havertz from Leverkusen in 2020 and could be on the verge of plucking another talented young attacker out of the German side’s ranks.
Thomas Tuchel has reportedly told Roman Abramovich to make Wirtz a priority signing next summer.
Chelsea have already been working on a deal, although Leverkusen are set to demand £85m for their prized asset.
But Madrid are keen to bring the youngster to the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu and will push Chelsea all the way.
Other clubs could yet enter the race, with Bayern Munich no doubt keeping a close eye on Wirtz’s development.
The player himself is said to admire Barcelona, although the Catalan giants do not have the money to fund a deal any time soon.
