Report: Newcastle now want to sign 'very special' attacker, Xabi Alonso says he's just like Lionel Messi

By Charles Jones

According to The Mail, Newcastle United are interested in Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz heading into the summer transfer window.

The German teenager has been making waves over in Germany for a few years now, but his development has been halted over the past 18 months due to an ACL injury.

However, Wirtz is now back, and he’s back to his best. He has four assists in eight Bundesliga appearances this season, with his manager, Xabi Alonso, comparing him to Lionel Messi back in January.

“There are good players and there are players who look good on the pitch. The player who looks good does things that are nice, but not necessarily efficient,” Alonso said.

“Why is Messi so good? Because he knows how and when to play simple passes. You’re in a better position? Here, there you have the ball!’ It’s not always about making the most brilliant move, but the best and smartest. Florian can do that. That’s why he’s so good.”

At the age of just 19, the ‘very special’ attacker has so much room to improve too, and the idea of him growing alongside this Newcastle project is a frightening prospect.

Of course, getting Wirtz out of Leverkusen won’t be easy. The club did stick by him through his injury issues, so he may feel a real sense of loyalty to the Bundesliga club, while Leverkusen have proven to be difficult to do business with in recent years, as Newcastle know all too well after their pursuit of Moussa Diaby in the summer.

Whether or not Newcastle can get this deal done or not remains to be seen, but after links with the likes of James Maddison and Wirtz, it’s clear to see that the Magpies want to add a new creative spark to their squad in the summer.