Newcastle United to ‘rival’ Barcelona and Real Madrid for €70m-rated Bundesliga prodigy

Newcastle United’s recent takeover has resulted in heavy links with a number of exciting young stars, with the latest being Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz.

The Magpies were said to be scouting the German back in October and are now preparing to join the race for a summer move, according to Spanish outlet Fichajes.

With Newcastle’s recent Premier League success that has left them unbeaten since December, they are now looking ahead to another campaign in the top tier and can make some big signings to go with it.

Wirtz is valued at around €70 million by Bayer Leverkusen, however the report claims that Newcastle would face stiff competition from a number of Europe’s elite clubs.

Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus and Bayern Munich are also keen on signing the 18-year-old, who has been one of the Bundesliga’s best players this season.

However, while the attacking midfielder’s €70 million price tag is unlikely to phase the Magpies new owners, Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Bayer Leverkusen are likely to keep hold of their prized asset this summer, so Newcastle will have to put in a lot of work to succeed in their pursuit.

Who is Florian Wirtz?

Florian Wirtz is one of the Bundesliga’s biggest young prospects after bursting onto the scene last season.

The German joined Bayer Leverkusen’s youth team in January 2020 and, after impressing for their under-17 team, made his senior debut four months later.

Wirtz confirmed himself as a first team regular last season and has taken it up a notch this time round, scoring seven goals and assisting ten in the Bundesliga during the current campaign.

He has also enjoyed a brilliant Europa League campaign, scoring three and assisting three in five appearances.

The 18-year-old’s excellent form for Bayer Leverkusen earned him an international call up to the Germany national team and he made his debut last September in a World Cup qualifier against Liechtenstein.

Wirtz has claimed two assists in four appearances for Germany.