Bayern Munich are growing increasingly confident in their pursuit of Leroy Sane, who could be leaving the Etihad this summer.
According to Mirror, Bayern Munich have emerged as the favourites to sign Leroy Sane this summer. The Bavarians are looking to take advantage of Sane’s lack of game-time at Manchester City in order to lure him back to Germany. And it is believed that they are growing increasingly confident of signing the German international in the ongoing summer transfer window.
Sane’s potential departure from the Etihad would not serve as a massive blow for Manchester City, despite his impressive record. Since joining the club back in 2016, the 23-year-old has plundered 39 goals. He has also mustered 45 assists in just 133 matches in all competitions – making him one of the most productive wingers in England over the past couple of years.
However, the emergence of Bernardo Silva has forced manager Pep Guardiola to leave Sane out of the starting lineup for the most part of this campaign. The Portuguese international stepped up to the plate following the injury to Kevin de Bruyne and is now regarded as one of Premier League’s best attacking midfielders.
Silva was involved in 15 goals in the league while delivering 71 key passes (9th highest in the league). Hence, his chance creation and overall productivity were critical to Manchester City’s domestic treble-winning campaign. It also minimised Sane’s game-time, with the German international being restricted to just 1,867 minutes of league football this term.
Additionally, Manchester City are keen to add more options to their creative department, with Bruno Fernandes a potential target. Hence, a move away from Etihad could be a logical option for Sane. And a transfer to Bayern Munich will present him with the ideal opportunity to change his fortunes.
The Bundesliga giants have to deal with the departure of Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery in the summer. While both the players were critical to Bayern’s success in the past five-six years, it will also pave the way for young guns to finally make a mark in the first-team next season.
Serge Gnabry, for one, has already impressed in the 2018/19 campaign, having been involved in 15 goals in 30 matches. And the addition of Sane will offer Niko Kovac with more options in the attacking department, especially with James Rodriguez unlikely to be a permanent part of the squad.
That means Sane will have to compete with Kingsley Coman and Gnabry for a regular place in the first-team, and we expect the German international to be preferred over Coman, who has struggled with injuries for the most part of his career at Bayern.
However, Guardiola is in no rush to sell his prized asset at the moment. But, it will be interesting to see whether or not he will be willing to let Sane leave, especially if he misses out on the pursuit of Fernandes as well as Joao Felix this summer.
