Manchester City have hit something of a snag in their pursuit of Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz this summer, it has emerged.

Kevin De Bruyne's swansong season?

Before the season started it was hard to imagine a Pep Guardiola side without Kevin De Bruyne pulling the strings, but it has become something of a norm in the months since.

The Belgian talisman remains as deadly as ever when he is on the pitch, but has missed much of the Premier League season through injury and, now 32-years-old, may be the wrong side of the peak of his powers.

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He will be into the final 12 months of his contract this summer, and amid repeated reported interest in the veteran midfielder from Saudi Arabia, he could finally leave the Etihad for pastures new, with City likely to be keen to recoup some sort of fee for their heroic figure.

Phil Foden has stepped into the De Bruyne sized void admirably this season, but with Pep Guardiola always keen to have two players per position and Foden versatile enough to be employed across the frontline, it is likely that City would be in the market for a replacement for KDB as they look to extend their dominance both domestically and across Europe.

Florian Wirtz move hits a snag

That replacement is unlikely to be Bayer Leverkusen Wunderkind Florian Wirtz this summer though, after an already unlikely deal for the German hit another snag according to reports.

Wirtz has been a crown jewel in Leverkusen's impressive unbeaten campaign to date, with the 20-year-old supplying 8 goals and 10 assists in the German top flight, alongside 14 goal contributions in 11 appearances across the Europa League and DFB Pokal.

He has been subject to interest from Liverpool and Manchester City but, according to TeamTalk, Xabi Alonso's decision to remain with Leverkusen for at least another season has dented any hopes of luring Wirtz away from Germany, and any deal would cost a whopping £111m even if it does happen.

Florian Wirtz in the Bundesliga 23/24

Appearances

28

Goals + assists

18

Progressive passes (per 90)

8.45

Key Passes (per 90)

2.75

Shot creating actions (per 90)

6.29

That is due to the fact that Wirtz "loves playing under Alonso" and is "more than happy to stay at the German club after the manager committed his future to them", with the youngster under contract until 2027 as it stands. Previously, Wirtz's father Hans-Joachim Wirtz had also suggested he was happy to stay at the Bay Arena for years to come.

“Florian has a contract in Leverkusen until 2027. That will also roughly be the amount of time he will spend in Leverkusen,” he told Kicker. “Then we will see where the path leads. There is no answer to what happens then.”

Thanks to this, City are set to have to look elsewhere for reinforcements this summer, and have reportedly identified Premier League duo Lucas Paqueta and Eberechi Eze as two options to bolster their ranks ahead of the new season.