Manchester United set to face tough competition from Manchester City and Barcelona for €85 million rated star - Reports

Manchester United will reportedly face competition from Manchester City, Newcastle United and Spanish giants Barcelona to sign Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz.

Sport Witness claims that the attacking midfielder's current employers are willing to cash in on their 20-year-old and are expecting €85 million to complete the transfer.

The aforementioned report claims that Barcelona will withdraw from the race due to their financial situation. Given that the player and his agent prefer not to wait should the right offer come in from elsewhere, the Catalan club is considered an unlikely destination.

Further, Bayern Munich is considered a likely option for the Bayer Leverkusen midfielder, with the aforementioned English clubs considered to be alternatives.

Wirtz is currently contracted with the Bundesliga outfit till the summer of 2027. He joined Bayer Leverkusen from German side FC Koln in January of 2020. The midfielder has registered 113 appearances, bagging 26 goals and 34 assists across all competitions.

This season, the Germany international who has recorded 12 caps for his country has appeared seven times in the Bundesliga. He's netted once and assisted three goals in the process.

Both Manchester United and Manchester City have players who can play in attacking midfield positions. Mason Mount and Bruno Fernandes can perform the role at Old Trafford while Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden could occupy similar positions at the Eithad.

Therefore, signing Wirtz wouldn't seem an immediate necessity for either Premier League club.

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Manchester United star calls Manchester City's Erling Haaland the best striker in the world

Erling Haaland (via Getty Images)

Manchester United attacker Rasmus Hojlund lavished praise on Manchester City's Erling Haaland, calling the latter the best striker in the world. So far this season, the Norway international has bagged eight goals and an assist in eight Premier League appearances.

Hojlund, who joined the Red Devils this summer for a fee of €75 million, wishes to reach the heights of the Cityzens number nine. Speaking about the man who has scored 60 goals in 65 appearances for Manchester City, Hojlund said (via GOAL):

"I hope that one day I can reach his level, but right now, I think it is too early. Erling is in any case the world's best striker, if not the world's best footballer. I don't really want to be compared to him but I hope that one day I can be like him. Who knows? I am only 20 years old. We will have to see what it can end up with."

The Denmark international is yet to score his first Premier League goal for Manchester United. However, he's netted thrice in two UEFA Champions League matches, a testament to his goal-scoring prowess.