Real Madrid and Manchester United involved in transfer battle to sign £104 million-rated Germany international – Reports

Real Madrid and Manchester United are both allegedly in the race to rope in Bayer Leverksen midfielder Florian Wirtz ahead of next term.

According to Sky Sports, Real Madrid are interested in adding the German to their ranks next summer. However, they could have to fend off interest from Manchester United and Bayern Munich in the future.

Manchester United, on the other hand, are ready to begin talks with Wirtz's agents to establish themselves as the front-runners in the ongoing race. They are thought to be willing to meet the 20-year-old playmaker's reported price tag, which is close to a massive £104 million.

Should Wirtz decide to join Real Madrid in the future, he would emerge as a crucial starter for them. He would effectively replace Luka Modric, who is in the final seven months of his contract at Los Blancos.

On the other hand, Wirtz would likely replace Christian Eriksen should he decide to join the Old Trafford outfit ahead of the 2024-25 season.

Wirtz, whose current contract is set to run out in June 2027, has been a key player for Bayer Leverkusen since his debut in May 2020. He has registered 29 goals and 40 assists in 121 games for them so far.

Ex-Real Madrid star Casemiro not unsettled at Manchester United, says transfer expert

In his column for Caught Offside, reputed journalist Fabrizio Romano played down claims that Manchester United star Casemiro is currently unsettled in England. He wrote:

"There's been a lot written about Casemiro's Manchester United future recently, with talk of interest from Saudi Arabian clubs. As I previously reported, there's nothing concrete happening yet, but we'll see what Saudi plans are."

Offering more insight on the Brazilian's situation, Romano concluded:

"Still, I also wanted to address the claims that Casemiro has struggled to settle in England. As far as I understand, this is not accurate. He has no issues, no problems living in England, so I don't see this as a key factor in determining his future. Casemiro's future will be discussed for sure in the next months, but for now anything else is just speculation."

Casemiro, who left Real Madrid to join Erik ten Hag's outfit in a transfer worth up to £70 million in 2022, has lately received flak for his sub-par performances this term. The 31-year-old midfielder has recorded four goals and one assist in 12 outings for the Old Trafford outfit so far.

Meanwhile, the Brazilian star is currently nursing a hamstring problem.