Manchester United want Bayer Leverkusen starlet, a good deal?

Kolkata, December 27: As per rumours in England, Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick is keen on reinforcing his squad in January and has identified a host of young players as targets.

It is presumed that the German tactical genius is looking to go back to his homeland for reinforcements and he has identified Bayer Leverkusen starlet Florian Wirtz as the priority target.

Apart from the 18-year-old, Rangnick is also believed to be an admirer of Borussia Monchengladbach left-back Luca Netz, RB Leipzig defensive midfielder Eric Martel, currently on loan at Austria Wien, and VfL Bochum centre-back Armel Bella-Kotchap.

Wirtz is currently regarded as one of the finest young talents in world football following his breakout during the 2019-20 season. The Bayer Leverkusen starlet is still just 18 years of age and already has 68 appearances for die Werkself and has been breaking record for fun.

He became the youngest-ever player for Leverkusen in the Bundesliga having made his debut shortly after his 17th birthday in March 2020. The attacking midfielder became the youngest player to play for Germany U21s in October 2020, scoring the fastest goal in U21 European Championships history in June 2021, and then becoming the youngest player to play for the men's national team since 1945.

Dubbed as the 'next Kai Havertz', the young German is following the footsteps of the now Chelsea star and might potentially eclipse the growth of the 22-year-old in years to come. He was announced on the 2021 Golden Boy shortlist but was pipped to the accolade by Barcelona midfielder Pedri, who became the first player from the Nou Camp to win the award since Lionel Messi.

Having made his way through from the youth academy of FC Köln, Wirtz was signed by Leverkusen in January 2020 and did not have to wait too long to make his way into the senior setup despite the club already having so many talented players in his position at that time. The youngster is now a key member of Gerardo Seoane's squad having 19 goal contributions (eight goals and 11 assists) this season in just 21 games so far.

Thanks to his exceptional technical ability and eye for a pass, Wirtz is naturally a number ten but is also quite natural when playing as an inside forward on the left flank. He is also pretty much capable of playing in a number eight role. It is goes without saying that Wirtz is still pretty much in his development phase of his career and can potentially become one of the best players in years to come.

Rangnick has an exceptional eye for talent and Wirtz certainly looks like a special talent. If the Red Devils can secure Wirtz's signature, it should prove to be a brilliant deal.