Manchester City could break their transfer record this summer on Europe's player of the season: report

Manchester City could be about to smash their transfer record for arguably the player of the season in Europe's top five leagues.

The European champions' most expensive ever acquisition stands at a reported £100 million for Jack Grealish, who joined from Aston Villa in 2021. Josko Gvardiol, meanwhile, cost around £77m last summer when he was signed from RB Leipzig. 

But Pep Guardiola might be about to sanction an even bigger deal in order to snare a player also tracked by Liverpool and Chelsea. 

TEAMtalk says that Manchester City are looking at bringing Bayer Leverkusen schemer Florian Wirtz to the Etihad Stadium, with the German's fee said to be £10m more than Grealish.

“Reports suggest he’s valued at a staggering €130m (£111.2m),” the report states, adding that Xabi Alonso's decision to remain in the Bundesliga could well sway the playmaker to remain put for another season, too. 

In FourFourTwo's view, Wirtz would not only be a perfect signing for City, he is exactly the kind of buy that they would make, given his positional versatility across the frontline.

The one sticking point may well be his injury history. Although not an injury-prone player, the 20-year-old suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury that kept him out of the World Cup – and potential suitors may wish to wait and see how he develops over the next year or so following that setback. 

Wirtz is worth €110m, according to Transfermarkt. 

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