‘Man City have perfect plan B option’ as Florian Wirtz transfer chase falls apart
Manchester City’s stalemate in talks with Florian Wirtz could open the door for Pep Guardiola to sign a more cost-effective option.
Guardiola and Man City face a significant summer rebuild after their first trophyless season since 2017, which was confirmed with a 1-0 loss to Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace in the FA Cup Final on Saturday.
Kevin De Bruyne could only lead City’s players to runners-up medals in his third-last appearance before he exits the Etihad Stadium this summer, and the hunt is now underway to find his long-term successor.
Wirtz emerged as the Citizens’ number one target and travelled to Manchester for talks with City officials in the last week, which left Blues fans adamant that the Bayer Leverkusen superstar would choose them.
Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White is City’s other main target to replace De Bruyne should a move for Wirtz falter, but both Forest and Leverkusen are demanding well over £100million for either to leave.
Dani Olmo plan hatched at Man City amid Wirtz setback
Although Wirtz is a near-certainty to leave Leverkusen this summer, Football Insider revealed on Sunday (18 May) that City’s hearing over their 115 charges could scupper their ability to spend £100m on Wirtz.
Furthermore, after reports that Wirtz has also held talks with Liverpool officials in recent days after his trip to the UK, City are braced for the prospect of losing out and have now drawn up alternative options.
Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri reported for Sky Sport.ch on 19 May that Dani Olmo is City’s “Plan B” should a move for Wirtz fail, with the Blues well aware of Barcelona’s significant financial struggles.
The Spain playmaker would cost City just £50.5m to sign from cash-strapped Barcelona, and with this valuation less than half the £125m Leverkusen have demanded for Wirtz, the door is wide open for Olmo.
£50.5m Olmo transfer a no-brainer for Man City
Guardiola may already have a natural De Bruyne successor in-house if Phil Foden can rediscover his form at the Etihad, while James McAtee and Nico O’Reilly have also come on leaps and bounds this season.
The number of pre-existing options lessens the need to shell out over £100m at a time on either Wirtz or Gibbs-White, and signing Olmo for less than half the price would give Guardiola an equally strong option.
Barcelona’s stricken finances saw Olmo deregistered by LaLiga midway through the season and available to sign for free in January, and if City are to add experience and guaranteed quality in a transitional summer, he’s a far safer bet than Wirtz or Gibbs-White.