Florian Wirtz will remain at Bayer Leverkusen next season despite interest from Europe’s elite clubs, says Die Werkself chief executive Simon Rolfes.
Florian Wirtz has been in irresistible form throughout Xabi Alonso’s first full season at the BayArena, which could yet end with an unbeatable treble.
Bayer Leverkusen have won 28 of their 34 games to become the first unbeaten team in the Bundesliga and face a pair of finals this week – against Atalanta in the Europa League and Kaiserslautern in the DFB-Pokal.
Florian Wirtz was named Bundesliga Player of the Year earlier this week after scoring 11 goals and providing 11 assists during the campaign. He has also been involved in eight goals this term (four goals, four assists) and created 28 chances from open play in the Europa League.
This form has reportedly put the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City, and Manchester United on alert, but Leverkusen are not keen on selling.
“He’s going to stay. His father and agent have said that before. He’s under contract here and really happy,” Rolfes told Sky Sports.
“This is the right place for him to develop as a player and a person. His future is bright, that’s for sure. He’s such a good player and shows a great will to win and work.”
“It’s not normally a number 10 attribute, but it combines the talent with the work ethic of a number six or defensive player along with creating special moments of magic.”
When Bayern Munich last failed to win the Bundesliga title in 2012, they responded with raids on rivals Borussia Dortmund such as Robert Lewandowski, Mario Gotze, and Mats Hummels over the next few years.
Asked if Leverkusen had any concerns about that happening to them, Rolfes said: “10, 15 or 20 years ago it was a completely normal thing, but things change. The European environment has changed a lot.
“Now it’s an international market with the Premier League and clubs in Spain, Italy and France.”
Bayern, along with Liverpool, have been unsuccessful in trying to lure Alonso away from Westphalia and Rolfes says he was always convinced the Spaniard would stay.
“Maybe it was a bit more special, but I always believe you have to focus on your strengths,” he said.
“I was convinced that we could offer him and our players a lot with a different interest in them. That’s why I was always calm.”
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