Man City hold 'crucial advantage' in race to sign Florian Wirtz as Pep Guardiola's side confident of beating rivals Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in pursuit of Bayer Leverkusen star

Per Give Me Sport, City hold a key advantage in their pursuit of Leverkusen's star midfielder Wirtz this summer. The English side have identified the Germany star as a direct replacement for Kevin De Bruyne, who is all set to leave the club this summer as a free agent.

The 21-year-old has also attracted interest from Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, but the report adds that Leverkusen could be reluctant to sell their star player to a direct rival and help them strengthen their squad. This is where City hold the advantage as they remain hopeful of securing the player's signature. The reigning German champions are expected to demand a fee in the region of £100 million ($128m).

Madrid and Liverpool also remain hopeful of signing Wirtz in the summer. With Xabi Alonso linked with a move to Santiago Bernabeu next season, Los Blancos would hope that the Spanish would be able to convince the midfielder to follow him to the Spanish capital.

At present, Wirtz remains sidelined for several weeks after he suffered a ligament injury in his right ankle during Leverkusen's Bundesliga clash against Werder Bremen last month.