Manchester City and Real Madrid look set to go head-to-head in the race to sign Florian Wirtz, while Manchester United are considering a move for former Manchester City full-back João Cancelo. Join us for the latest transfer news, rumors, and gossip from around the globe.

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TRENDING RUMORS

– Manchester City are set to go head-to-head with Real Madrid as they aim to sign Bayer Leverkusen attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz, claims The Sun. The 21-year-old is reportedly keen on a move to Los Blancos when his time up at the BayArena and his transfer is valued at over €100m, but City boss Pep Guardiola sees him as the long-term successor to Kevin De Bruyne. Bayern Munich could also enter the race to sign Wirtz, who has been capped by Germany 29 times.

– Manchester United are interested in signing Al Hilal full-back João Cancelo during the summer transfer window, according to Football Transfers. Having signed left-wing-back Patrick Dorgu from Lecce in January, the Old Trafford hierarchy are now keen to strengthen their right side and could bring the 30-year-old back to the Premier League just a year after his permanent departure from rivals Manchester City.

– Barcelona intend to offer Robert Lewandowski a new contract that will run until 2027, reports Sport, with the striker’s deal expiring in 2026. They are not concerned about the 36-year-old’s age, and it is expected that an agreement will be reached without any issues due to the positive relationship between the Blaugrana and Lewandowski’s entourage.

– Sport says that Bayern Munich have dropped out of the race to sign Bayer Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah. The Germany international, 29, is available on a free transfer in the summer and has been linked with Barcelona, though reports suggest the Catalan club are also considering dropping out of contention as they want to focus on younger players.

– Theo Hernández is still keen to renew his contract with AC Milan, but the left-back didn’t appreciate the club accepting an offer from Como in January, reports Calciomercato. The France international had reportedly reached an agreement with Milan last month over a new deal, but the next steps never occurred. Now the accepted Como offer has thrown doubt over the 27-year-old’s future.

EXPERT TAKE

ESPN’s resident scout Tor-Kristian Karlsen explores why the best clubs in the world want to sign Florian Wirtz.

Arguably one of the best out-and-out attacking playmakers in the world right now, Wirtz’s contribution to Leverkusen’s domestic double last season was nothing short of phenomenal. From 49 games in all competitions, he registered a sensational 18 goals and 20 assists. And although Xabi Alonso’s side have struggled to repeat last year’s remarkable feats, there’s been no significant drop in the 21-year-old’s performances this time with 15 goals, 12 assists from 35 games and a quarter of the season left to play.

Depending on the formation, Wirtz is usually lined up as a lone central attacking midfielder — akin to a No. 10 — or in “double 10” setup tucked in behind a centre-forward.

Equipped with brilliant technical ability, Wirtz possesses an incredible ability to spot a run from a teammate and pick the right pass. Operating in the attacking pockets masterfully, he’s able to create chances single-handedly and often takes on defenders successfully (3.9 successful dribbles per 90 minutes). This is especially evident when he’s able to turn quickly with the ball and suddenly up the tempo of a move. Indeed, only Arsenal’s Martin Ødegaard (or a peak Kevin De Bruyne) can rival Wirtz for spontaneous, game-changing actions from central attacking areas.

Averaging just short of 70 passes per 90 minutes, the youngster is highly active in the build up and is always looking for favourable positions to receive the ball. He is also a remarkable finisher. The majority of his goals tend to come from just inside the box (centrally), often executed after carefully picking his spot and applying the right pace on the ball with his striking technique. On the defensive side, he never shies away from his pressing responsibilities either.

So it’s no surprise that Wirtz is being courted by the biggest clubs in world football. Whoever ends up signing him are likely to end up with the defining attacking footballer for the next decade.

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OTHER RUMORS

– Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham have all been linked with Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens, but the club are demanding a fee of around €100m. (Bild)

– Manchester United want to get Casemiro‘s £300,000-per-week wages off their books. The 32-year-old midfielder had been benched for 10 of the Red Devils’ last 11 matches before starting in Sunday’s 1-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, and revealed on Monday that he wants “to play more” for Ruben Amorim’s side. (The Times)

– Manchester City attacker Claudio Echeverri, 19, will join up with his new side this week following the end of his loan at River Plate and his time playing for Argentina at the U20 South American Championship. (Fabrizio Romano)

– Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen, 19, has a £50m release clause which will be active in the summer and Liverpool are among the clubs interested. (Fabrizio Romano)

– Houston Dynamo are working on a deal to sign Orlando City midfielder Nico Lodeiro and right-back Michael Halliday. A deal for the former is likely, but not complete, while terms for the latter are set. (GiveMeSport)

– Wrexham’s £2m record transfer Sam Smith has admitted that the “Welcome to Wrexham” documentary played a big part in his decision to move to the club. (Sun)