Bayern finances could thwart deal for Leverkusen’s Wirtz

Bayern Munich's financial position could thwart a move for Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen, but the club is hopeful that Jamal Musiala will sign a new contract soon.

This is according to Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen, who discussed the club's selection plans in an interview with German outlet Abendzeitung.

Wirtz has attracted the interest of a host of European clubs after helping Leverkusen to an unbeaten title triumph in 2023/24, winning the Bundesliga Player of the Season award after scoring 11 goals and providing 11 assists in the competition.

Wirtz has four goals and two assists in the league so far this season, while only Alex Grimaldo (35) and Kevin Stoger (33) have bettered his 26 chances in the Bundesliga and his figure of 3.9 expected assists (xA) puts him takes second place. to Grimaldo (4.22).

Bayern's tendency to look for Germany's brightest and best has seen them linked with Wirtz, but Dreesen says finances will dictate their ability to make a move.

“It must always be in Bayern's interest to have the best German players with them,” he said.

“But it is also true that Uli Hoeness has always said that Bayern must act in an economically sensible way. He would not agree with us if we did not respect both of his fundamental pillars.”

Since the start of last season, Wirtz leads all players in the Bundesliga for successful dribbles, with 112. In second place is Musiala, who has completed 109 for Bayern in that time.

Bayern are close to opening talks over a new contract with the attacking midfielder, whose current contract with the Bavarian giants expires in 2026.

“It is not news that we obviously want to expand with one of the top players in the world in our ranks,” said Dreesen.

“Jamal Musiala has developed excellently with us, he is a player who inspires the audience, who creates a spectacle through his individual class, who can turn a match around.

“I sincerely hope that these first really good conversations that Max Eberl and Christoph Freund are having with Jamal will ultimately lead to an extension.

“I don't want to put this in a corset in terms of time. The most important thing is that it gets to this point, even if it doesn't happen by the end of the year. Jamal Musiala is one of the faces of the future for FC Bayern.”

Dreesen is also keen for Joshua Kimmich to put pen to paper on a new contract, with the midfielder having less than a year left on his current contract.

“Joshua, who has a high degree of sporting ambition, knows which club he belongs to and what goals he can achieve here together with us,” said Dreesen.

“He feels comfortable in Munich and is a very important player in this team.

“We have already said publicly that we now want to quickly discuss a contract extension with him.”