Barcelona representatives will watch Bayer Leverkusen duo Jonathan Tah and Florian Wirtz in Tuesday’s Champions League game at Atlético Madrid, sources have confirmed to ESPN.
Tah and Wirtz are two players on Barça’s radar for the future and the Catalan club will use this week’s game in the Spanish capital to check in on the pair.
There have already been talks with Tah’s agent, Pini Zahavi, over a potential free transfer this summer when the centre-back’s contract expires with Leverkusen.
Tah has already confirmed he plans to seek a new challenge when his deal is up, alerting some of the biggest teams in Europe.
The 28-year-old German international is seen as a “market opportunity” by Barça, sources add, with coach Hansi Flick keen to add depth to his backline ahead of next season.
Since joining from Hamburg in 2015, Tah has made over 350 appearances for Leverkusen and been capped 33 times by Germany.
Meanwhile, Wirtz’s starring performances for Leverkusen as they won the Bundelisga under Xabi Alonso last season have also made him a player in demand.
Barça have long followed the progress of the 21-year-old attacking midfielder, who’s previously spoken of his desire to play for the Blaugrana, but he is likely to command a big fee due to the interest in him.
ESPN revealed in November that Real Madrid are also among the teams tracking Wirtz due to concerns over the team’s lack of creativity following the retirement of Toni Kroos.
Wirtz’s contract with Leverkusen runs until 2027, but there have been reports in Germany he will add an additional year to those terms in the coming months.
Despite his age, Wirtz is already closing in on 200 appearances for the club, while has also been capped 29 times for his country, playing a key role at last summer’s European Championship in his homeland.
>
