Manchester City held their annual academy awards on Thursday night, attended by outgoing Sporting Director Txiki Begiristain and his replacement Hugo Viana.

Reports from England and Germany suggest that Bayer Leverkusen's Wirtz and his parents flew to England on Tuesday to consider his future options. Initially, Manchester City was the focus, with claims of Wirtz touring their facilities, but Liverpool 's name later emerged as part of the conversation.

While the expectation is Wirtz will remain in Germany either by staying at Leverkusen or making the switch to Bayern Munich, Arne Slot wants to make a significant play for the £125million-rated Germany international.