Manchester City set to sign highly rated Leroy Sane
Manchester City are looking to add more attacking options to their side as they appear to be closing in on a deal to sign German winger Leroy Sane, who flew in to Manchester to complete the deal. The 20-year old currently plies his trade in the Bundesliga with Schalke 04, however that might not be for very much longer. Pep Guardiola is a huge fan of the pacey youngster, and it is believed that he will be able to get his man for just £31.25 million, even though the club wanted £45 million. Part of the reason for this is probably due to the fact that Sane has recently handed in a transfer request, with Schalke sporting director Christian Heidel being quoted as saying “Leroy told me on Wednesday in an interview again he has requested to change clubs.”
Sane has not only been a target for City during this transfer window, but also for new manager Pep Guardiola’s previous club Bayern Munich. Bitter rivals Manchester United were also reportedly interested, however neither team have placed an official bid. This signing would be Pep’s second swoop from the Bundesliga since taking over as manager, having already acquired the services of Ilkay Gundogan from Dortmund this summer for £22.5 million.
Sane has already earned 4 caps for Germany, which is impressive considering their wealth of attacking options, making it very difficult for a youngster to break in to the side. He was selected as part of Joachim Löw’s 23-man squad that went to France for Euro 2016, making an appearance in their semi-final defeat to the host nation.
Sane was a product of Schalke’s youth system, before breaking into the senior squad aged 18. In his first full season as a senior player, the winger made 13 appearances in the league, scoring 3 times. This was enough to prove to manager (at the time) Andre Breitenreiter that he should be a first team starter for the next campaign. His faith in the youngster payed dividends, as he bagged 8 goals from 33 games, helping Schalke to a 5th placed finish and automatic qualification for the group stages of the Europa League.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qbm6pORwdAM
